"THIS JUST IN. Ms Albright will discuss the selling of US security secrets to Communist China
for donations to the DNC."
Posted on 09/26/2002 5:12:06 PM PDT by tomball
Madeleine Albright, the US secretary of state under Bill Clinton, on Thursday accused some members of the Bush administration of an "irrational exuberance for this conflict" with Iraq.
Speaking before the Senate committee on foreign relations, Ms Albright said: "It is not an American trait to want war.
"And it is not a sign of sound leadership to understate the risks of war or to offer constantly shifting rationales - as this administration has - for undertaking such a venture," Ms Albright said.
Her comments followed a speech earlier this week by Al Gore, the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2000, who criticised the Bush administration for its handling of the war on terror and warned against a unilateral assault on Iraq.
Taken together, the criticism offers a rallying call for what has so far been generally muted Democrat opposition to Mr Bush's approach to Iraq.
The president on Thursday met 17 members of the US House of Representatives to encourage support for a tough resolution from Congress authorising the use of force to oust Saddam Hussein.
Ms Albright on Thursday urged Congress to give Mr Bush that authority, but she also called for a more restrictive resolution.
She noted that the language presented by the White House would authorise the use of force unrelated to any specific countries, threats, American interests or periods of time.
Ms Albright warned against pursuing Iraq when the "more urgent threat" remains al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
"This is not the time or place for short attention spans," she said.
She also warned that the US could face a "no-win choice" in the post-Saddam Hussein era.
"A prolonged US military occupation of the country that served as the cultural capital of Islam during that civilisation's Golden Age. . . would hand a new organising tool to anti-American terrorists worldwide."
On the other hand, a quick withdrawal could plunge the country into factionalism and civil war.
"It is naive to think that a peaceful and democratic Iraq will automatically emerge from the ashes of our invasion," Ms Albright said.
Also appearing before the Senate foreign relations committee was Henry Kissinger, the former secretary of state.
Mr Kissinger also urged Congress to give the president the authority to use military force, but he raised concerns about the Bush administration's commitment to the principle of pre-emptive military action.
"It cannot be either the American national interest or the world's interest to develop principles that grant every nation an unfettered right of pre-emption against its own definition of threats to its security," Mr Kissinger said.
He also called on the administration, in conjunction with other great powers, to establish a new international order to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
TRANSCRIPT: IRAQ MUST COMPLY WITH UNSC RESOLUTIONS, SAYS ALBRIGHT (Secstate notes Bahrain's support in Iraqi crisis) Manama, Bahrain -- "Saddam Hussein, armed with chemical and biological weapons, is a threat to the international community. But it is a profoundly dangerous threat to the nations of the Persian Gulf and the entire Middle East," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright asserted February 3."Saddam does not discriminate in the use of his weapons. Saudis, Kuwaitis, Bahrainis, Iranians, Israelis and Iraqis have all been his targets. We must stop Saddam from threatening any people of this region with weapons of mass destruction again," she said at a press briefing with Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak al Khalifa.
Albright said "the Amir agrees with the United States that diplomatic options are quickly running out, and that soon we will be forced to make some hard decisions. Diplomacy remains our preferred option. But the standard for a real diplomatic solution must be full compliance with the Security Council and unconditional, unfettered access for UN weapons inspections."
The Secretary said that throughout this trip, she has found "unanimous agreement on the fact that Saddam Hussein must fulfill his obligations imposed upon him by the Security Council, that it is essential to have unfettered, unconditional access to the sites by UNSCOM, that whatever comes of this if diplomacy fails and military action is necessary, that Saddam Hussein is responsible for the grave consequences.
"I have had I think very positive support, whether it's from King Hussein or from the Amir here, or Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, for what we are seeking. And I think that we believe that we will have all the cooperation we need across the board," she said.
She stressed that the United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people. "We do not wish to see women and children used as human shields. We do not wish to see people sick and hungry. The U.S. wrote the UN resolution permitting Iraq to sell oil for food and medicine. Now we want to expand it so more food and medicine can be provided more effectively to the Iraqi people," she said, adding, "But nothing will change our determination to thwart Saddam from ever threatening this region with weapons of mass destruction again."
Albright noted that this year marks 50 years of relations and friendship between the United States and Bahrain and she expressed the appreciation of the U.S. for Bahrain's support in this time of crisis.
PRESS BRIEFING BY SECRETARY MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT AND BAHRAINI FOREIGN MINISTER SHAIKH MUHAMMAD BIN MUBARAK AL KHALIFA Sheraton Hotel Manama, Bahrain February 3, 1998
Yet Maddy considers the foul administration she served "sound".
Disgraceful, the lot of them.
This is looking more and more like a Rat set-piece operation all the time. They planned this drumbeat.
The question is why?
Remember this, to Colin Powell?
"What's the point of having this superb military that you're always talking about if we can't use it?"
Albright Hits Back at Critics of Iraq Policy 9/98
WASHINGTON —— Secretary of State Madeleine Albright hit back Wednesday at critics who accuse the United States of weakness on Iraq, insisting that Washington is ready to use force against Baghdad if necessary.
"We have not taken any option off the table, including military force ... The bottom line is that if Iraq tries to break out of its strategic box, our response will be strong and swift,'' she told American war veterans in New Orleans....
ALBRIGHT - CIA - RICHARD PERLE: THE IRAQ QUESTION 11/98
Sec State Madeleine Albright was interviewed by Margaret Warner on the Jim Lehrer Newshour, yesterday. Warner asked whether the impending US strike meant the administration had concluded that the UNSCOM inspection regime was over. Albright replied, "The inspection regime has not been working for eight of the last twelve months. And I think one of our concerns is we can't think that something is working when it is not. That is dangerous."
Wasn't that Scott Ritter's point--"the illusion of arms control is more dangerous than no arms control at all," as Ritter wrote in his Aug 26 resignation letter [see "Iraq News" Aug 28], and subsequently.
Warner also asked, "If air strikes are launched, what will be achieved?" Albright replied, "Well, let me just make the following point: There are people-UNSCOM is not working now. We are very concerned about what is happening in terms of [Saddam's] weapons of mass destruction. . . If in fact, we do take an action of force, it will be designed in order to degrade his ability to develop and deliver weapons of mass destruction and prevent him also or make it less possible for him to upset the neighborhood."
Subsequently, Warner asked, "But the head of the special commission, Richard Butler, and many other experts in this field, have said really that even after massive air strikes, a country like Iraq, with the know-how to make these biological weapons and chemical weapons, can really reconstitute them pretty quickly." Albright replied, "Well, we know that." ....
....Richard Perle, Reagan Asst Sec Def, on CNN's Cross-Fire, yesterday, argued that getting rid of Saddam was the only way to get rid of the proscribed weapons. Perle said that he was afraid the administration had in mind another set of pinprick attacks with fancy weapons which would not have a decisive result. He noted that the administration still would not say that its policy was to get rid of Saddam-to help Iraqis who want to liberate their country. When the administration said that, Perle suggested, the US would have a policy toward Iraq. Bob Novak ended the program, proposing that he suggest an idea to Perle upon which the two might agree. Novak said the administration wanted to carry out its strike on Iraq without convening Congress to consider the matter or having a public debate on the issue. Perle readily agreed.”
Albright Dismisses Critics Of Air Strikes On Iraq 12/98
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Wednesday scornfully dismissed countries like France and Russia that oppose military action against Iraq.
"The truth is they have no (other) answers as to how to make (the Iraqis) comply'' with U.N. Security Council disarmament demands, she told a Wednesday night news briefing.
"And the bottom line is that it would be very nice if those who do not support our approach had an approach that worked.'' ...
Finally, U.S. Imports Oil from Iraq, but it's news to Albright
She offered this as to why the Clinton administration was justified in attacking Iraq. One young man asked Albright why the United States is willing to attack Iraq while ignoring actions by other countries. Albright responded, "No one has done what Saddam Hussein has done, or is thinking of doing. He is producing weapons of mass destruction, and he is qualitatively and quantitatively different from other dictators
And of course she and the Clinton administration did nothing but left the mess for Bush to clean up !!
"Hold your horses, Bill...I'm almost done swallowing...then we'll go for 'Round Two'"
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