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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWho is in Charge of the Madhouse?
U.S. foreign policy from Vietnam to Afghanistan has mostly been counter-productive enabling the happening of what policies were intended to prevent. The disturbing manner in which the crisis in Ukraine is unfolding more and more provocative demonstrates once again that U.S. policy is doomed to be counter-productive.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2014/03/who-is-in-charge-of-the-madhouse/
Catherina
(35,568 posts)In this case, just count the one's in Obama's administration, count all the Bush holdovers with their deep ties to capital and to PNAC and they're not all holdovers as in the mysterious case of Victoria Nuland, currently the Asst Secretary of State best know for her *Fuck the EU* comment about how the US was going to install whoever we chose in Ukraine even if that meant forming an alliance with neonazis and for passing out cookies, cookies lol, to the the "protesters". And forever now to be known for this lovely picture taken with the founder of Ukraine's NeoNazi party.
US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland together Neo Nazi Svoboda leader Oleh Tyahnybok (left)
Sieg heil US-backed Svoboda neo Nazi leader Oleh Tyahnybok.
Hat tip to DUer Koko about Nuland, who was then promoted to Assistant Secretary of State by Obama and Kerry.
The strange appointment of Victoria Nuland as State Department Spokesperson
By Patricia H. Kushlis
Update: 7/12/2013 - Toria grilled about Benghazi role at Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing today for her next high level position: Assistant Secretary of State for Europe
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Is Hillary asleep at the switch? What is going on here?
Earlier this week, Josh Rogin at FP and Eric Martin at Progressive Realist both flagged the curious appointment of Victoria Nuland as the next State Department Spokesperson to fill P.J. Crowleys shoes.
Martin questions whether this has foreign policy implications, in particular the replacement of an anti-torture appointee with someone who served as Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Cheney.
Rogin doesnt directly raise potential administration policy shifts but does point out that once upon a time Nuland was Strobe Talbotts Chief of Staff when he was Deputy Secretary of State during the Clinton Administration and that Talbott had thought very highly of her at the time and still does. In fact, he, according to Rogin, praised her to the hilt in an interview about the pending appointment. So the seemingly amoral Nuland, were led to believe, can and will do anyones bidding and do it well in short, a consummate career diplomat.
Why?
But why would Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration agree to appoint to this politically sensitive position someone who willingly served such a controversial figure in suppporting and implementing the war on terror and all the baggage that comes with it? Furthermore, how reliable is a Talbott reference anyway? After all, I understand that he just helped his friend Robert Kagan, Nulands neocon husband, get a job at Brookings and Talbott is also a friend of neocon writer Marc Gerecht, the husband of Diane Zeleny who also just latched onto a likely sweetheart deal sort of appointment as Head of External Relations and Congressional Affairs at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). Whether Zeleny deserves or is qualified for the position or not.
From what I know about the Department, an FSO doesnt just get detailed to the staff of a highly charged and ideological Vice President unless that detailee agrees to follow the bosss dictates. Cheneys were all too often forceful and odious. Furthermore, does anyone really think that Cheney with his penchant for super loyalty and secrecy - would have ever accepted Nuland (or anyone else) for the position without some kind of loyalty test?
Surely the State Department under Hillary Clinton could have found equally (or likely even better) qualified career candidates who do not carry Nulands political baggage.
Behind the scenes trade off?
......Continued at the Link.....
http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview/2011/05/the-strange-appointment-of-victoria-nuland-as-states-spokesperson.html
Taken from http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024461021#post2
John McCain got his photo op in too
Oh wonderful, so did Kerry