Zbigniew Brzezinski

[ccharles000]

I have seen him on morning joe and he seems well informed on foreign policy. Do you think Obama should include him in his cabinet?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Brzezinski

[Uzybone]

1. No

His time has passed. He was in Carters cabinet I believe.

[Jack Rabbit]

19. Zbig was Carter's NSA

For better or worse, arming the Muhajadin in Aghanistan was his idea, not any one's in the Reagan administration.

[Lumpsum]

2. On the bright side, it would make his daughter's head explode.

And we'd all love to watch that.

[sad sally]

3. At least as one of his advisors on foreign policy and relations.

Would also hope Obama would seek the advice of Bzezinski's former boss President Jimmy Carter.

[polichick]

4. He has been an unpaid advisor for over a year.

[ccharles000]

6. oh

well thats good to know.

[polichick]

8. Yeah, I think so too. Surprising that his daughter is such a pain in the ass. :)

[rwenos]

5. Zbig is a Cold Warrior

Zbig was Carter's National Security Advisor, you know. He was effective, but never got any credit for it. He'd probably better serve Barack as a "wise man" (every President needs several) working behind the scenes.

He's both tougher and a cruder thinker than Madeline Albright.

[Occam Bandage]

7. I don't think so, though I wouldn't mind if he were one of many FP advisors.

[ErinBerin84]

9. I think he was only an unofficial advisor a couple of times.

And then, there was some "controversy" over him in the Jewish community, so the Obama camp kind of distanced itself ...I still can't believe that Mika is his daughter. He must be so ashamed.

[ColbertWatcher]

14. No way.

That chick who primps and preens on camera while reading out loud!?

That's Brzezinski's daughter!

Man. How disappointing.

I guess it does explain how she got her job.

[PBS Poll-435]

10. Does he put vodka in his tea, too?

:shrug:

[MarthaMyDear]

11. That Mika on MJ is his daughter? Hmmm...

... I didn't know that...although I've only seen that show maybe twice only recently.

It's so dull...I can't quite figure out who these people are, I guess now I know.

Personally I just love Zbigniew Brzezinski, but some don't...he'd make a great advisor, IMO

[Hieronymus]

21. Yes, Mika is his daughter. The only thing she shares with him is his name.

[xochi]

12. I like him. Brilliant guy who knows what is going on in the world.

Heard him on Charlie Rose last year. Here's a short excerpt from that conversation:

CHARLIE ROSE: "OK. Let me close with this one last question. If a new president comes to power in 2008, as he or she will, what ought to be the most important message that person can say in their inaugural address about America and the world?"

ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI: "I think the next president should say to the world that the United States wants to be part of the solution to its problems and not, in part, the maker of their problems. And that the United States is prepared really to be engaged in the quest to get people in the world the dignities that they seek today, the social justice that they feel they're deprived of, and the common solution to global problems.

But secondly, I think the president has to say very credibly and forcefully to the American people that to do that, what I just said, the American people have to think hard about their definition of the meaning of the good life, that hedonistic, materialistic society of high levels of consumption, increasing social inequality is not a society that can be part of the solution of the world's problems. And, therefore, the president has to project to the American people a sense of demanding idealism. Idealism which is not based in self-indulgence, but on self-denial and sacrifice, and on this such an America is going to be credible to the world."

Don't know what happened with Mika.... heh heh...

[PaulaFarrell]

13. no,

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/BRZ110A.html

Question: The former director of the CIA, Robert Gates, stated in his memoirs <"From the Shadows">, that American intelligence services began to aid the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan 6 months before the Soviet intervention. In this period you were the national security adviser to President Carter. You therefore played a role in this affair. Is that correct?

Brzezinski: Yes. According to the official version of history, CIA aid to the Mujahadeen began during 1980, that is to say, after the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan, 24 Dec 1979. But the reality, secretly guarded until now, is completely otherwise Indeed, it was July 3, 1979 that President Carter signed the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul. And that very day, I wrote a note to the president in which I explained to him that in my opinion this aid was going to induce a Soviet military intervention.

Q: Despite this risk, you were an advocate of this covert action. But perhaps you yourself desired this Soviet entry into war and looked to provoke it?

B: It isn't quite that. We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would.

Q: When the Soviets justified their intervention by asserting that they intended to fight against a secret involvement of the United States in Afghanistan, people didn't believe them. However, there was a basis of truth. You don't regret anything today?

B: Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter. We now have the opportunity of giving to the USSR its Vietnam war. Indeed, for almost 10 years, Moscow had to carry on a war unsupportable by the government, a conflict that brought about the demoralization and finally the breakup of the Soviet empire.

Q: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic fundamentalism, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?

B: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?

Q: Some stirred-up Moslems? But it has been said and repeated Islamic fundamentalism represents a world menace today.

B: Nonsense! It is said that the West had a global policy in regard to Islam. That is stupid. There isn't a global Islam. Look at Islam in a rational manner and without demagoguery or emotion. It is the leading religion of the world with 1.5 billion followers. But what is there in common among Saudi Arabian fundamentalism, moderate Morocco, Pakistan militarism, Egyptian pro-Western or Central Asian secularism? Nothing more than what unites the Christian countries.

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. He's right about the relative importance of the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, actually

Islam is not monolithic, and even among those Muslims who are anti-Western and extremist there are deep and fundamental conflicts (the Wah'habi Saudis vs the Shi'a Iranians vs Hanafi Afghans, for instance).

[PaulaFarrell]

17. and communism was not monolithic either

and there were deep and fundamental conflicts within it. the fact is, I don't want anyone in the government who played a major role in the tragedy that is afghanistan for the last 30 years or so, and dismisses that and the results as 'some stirred-up moslems'

the truth is, we won't know the relative importance of islamic fundamentalism until it's over - could be a few years, could be 30 or 40. the instability in afghanistan has long been spilling into pakisatn - i know it's not simple as that, but there is a real possibility that pakistan could some day become a fundamentalist state, and given the fact that they have nuclear weapons, it could be quite a threat

[CounterPropagandist]

15. terrifying idea

Classic imperialist. Playing the Great Game of Western Imperialism Would get us into endless wars of domination in central asia. Going to restart the Cold War. Read his book Made remark before 9/11 that the US needed another Pearl Harbor to wake us up.

[StrictlyRockers]

18. I really don't trust that dude. He is compromised.

[anonymous171]

20. As much as I like foreign policy realists, he's too interventionist for me.