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| Halfbright: Bush 'One of the Worst Presidencies' in History |
| 2008-01-11 |
| Nearly seven years out office, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright pulls no punches bashing the Bush administration’s handling of certain issues – calling it one of America’s “worst presidencies.” Albright gave President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney very poor marks and listed goals for the next president to do better that include embracing a global view of climate change. “This is a purely practical point here, and I think there’s a lot of work to be done” Albright said. “And I think the judgment is that this is one of the worst presidencies we’ve had and people will wonder what it is that the role of the vice president is.” Albright spoke to a very supportive crowd on January 9 at a Barnes & Noble Bookstore in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, D.C. to promote her new book “Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership.” One of the areas Albright saw that the office of the presidency needed to improve upon was the diplomacy of “global warming, climate change and energy issues.” She said the next president needed to do a better job of being aware of the interests of other nations. “The final big set of issues has to do with that bundle of global warming, climate change, and energy issues,” Albright said. “Now if you look at those issues, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that they are the kind of issues that require international cooperation, which means the next president has to have a different style – has to have the capability of dealing with other countries and being interested actually, in what their national interest is and in listening." Albright served under former Vice President Al Gore, one of the staunch global warming “cheerleaders” who advocates a pledge that would require all developed nations to curb their greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent. Albright also sees globalization as an issue the United States will have to come to grips with during the next presidency and the wealth disparity issues created from it. “There are people who come to my office and say, ‘we have to stop globalization,’” Albright said. “You can’t stop globalization, but I think we have to figure out how to mitigate the worst aspects of it and the problems that have been created and I think one of the worst is that there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor.” Albright’s message centered on the need for equality – not just domestically, but also on a global scale. “If we were all rich, that would be very nice,” Albright said. “If we were all poor, it would be too bad, but we would be the same. What the problem is now is the poor know what the rich have as a result of information technology and the spread, generally, of knowledge. And, it creates a whole new host of problems in terms of disquiet and anger.” Albright appeared on the January 8 NBC’s “Today” and promoted Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for the presidency. “I know Hillary Clinton very well and she is strong and has lot of resolve and I think would be a great commander-in-chief,” Albright said. Just ask any of the military folks who have |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #14 Zucker's homage to Mad Halfbright can be seen here. |
| Posted by: doc 2008-01-11 18:45 |
| #13 Sad, but necessary corrections due here: Worst President List: 1 - James Buchanan - no contest 2 - Not Warren Harding - he wasn't great, but he's not 2nd worst 3 - Not US Grant - see Harding comment, much better General 4 - W H Harrison - you gotta survive 5 - Jimmah usually lands here 6- et alia - here's where the argument starts, and W really isn't even close, and probably doesn't have enough time left to mess up bad enough to get close. More sad commentary - a list of worst Sec. State's would have controversy right from #1, and she's probably not in the running, but may be in the bottom 10. |
| Posted by: Hyperbolic Idiot Detection Service 2008-01-11 18:21 |
| #12 "Mad Halfbright" ...what an apt name. |
| Posted by: Jomosing Bluetooth8431 2008-01-11 17:49 |
| #11 Let's recall that it wasn't Churchill but Chamberlain who declared war on Germany and, I think, the Spitfire and Hurriacne program plus the building of a chain of radars was made when he was a PM. In his "History of WWII" Churchill praises him for his efforts at preserving peace, it is true that he should have opned his eyese sooner but he ended opening them. He also tells an interessant story aboy Chamberlain. Far from being an effeminate aristocrat, he had been, when young, basically dropped alone on a Guadalcanal-like island and told to make something from it. And he succeeded. Then Churchill wonders athat if Hitler had known about Chamberlain's background he would respected him far more and been far more wearier of breaking the word ("No further territorial vindications") he had given him at Munich. |
| Posted by: JFM 2008-01-11 14:23 |
| #10 Neville Chamberlain with tits. Chamberlain was pursuing a full bore rearmament program while negotiating with Hitler. Albright danced a waltz with poofy hair over in Pyongyang. Albright is no Chamberlain - maybe an Arnold. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-01-11 13:19 |
| #9 Selling her book, of course, and looking for a job in Hilly's White House. I prefer to think of her as a really ugly Jimmy Carter. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2008-01-11 12:06 |
| #8 tu, I'm not sure if you just insulted Neville Chamberlain....or tits. ;) |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2008-01-11 12:01 |
| #7 remember back when National "messages" had to be read from her choice of brooch? Truly an incompetent toad |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-01-11 09:46 |
| #6 After his own policy failed, Neville Chamberlain supported Churchill. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2008-01-11 09:39 |
| #5 Neville Chamberlain with tits. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-01-11 09:25 |
| #4 This coming from the worst Secretary of State ever. Ooookay. Don't you have a geritol commercial to film or something lady? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-01-11 09:13 |
| #3 “What a blast it is to be here with Michael Moore.” Madeline Albright |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-01-11 08:16 |
| #2 I will never forget her running in her bare stockings after that pig Arafat. It truly was a Kodak moment. |
| Posted by: newc 2008-01-11 08:01 |
| #1 Well, if anyone knows bad, it's this woman... |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-01-11 07:56 |