U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nicki Haley, reacted to the UN General Assembly vote opposing Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: 128-9 (35 abstentions).
NYTimes (12/21). “The President will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I
report back on those countries who voted against us. We will take note
of each and every vote on this issue.” It was not the first time Ms. Haley had used this language at the United Nations.
Soon after taking her post in January, she said that the United States
would back its allies and expected their backing in return. “For those
who don’t have our back,” she added, “we’re taking names.”
What an artful diplomat! What a blessing for the United States.
Also a blessing and blessed be Mike Pence, who lobbied along with Christian evangelicals for the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. As a result, Christian groups in the Middle East refused to meet with him on a planned trip. Curiously, the trip was cancelled.
Pence's Christmas Pilgrimage Is Canceled. His Next Mideas Move is Complicated.
UPDATE: Instead of the ME, Pence is off to Afghanistan...Too few Christians to snub him?
With leaders like Haley and Pence, who needs friends and allies anyway?
Here is our Master's voice, from yesterday's Cabinet meeting: "For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars -- even billions of dollars -- and then they vote against us. We're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care."
ReplyDeleteUsed to be we used our widow's mite of foreign aid to make a better and safer world (because it was in our interest). Now, it turns out, we were just bribing for votes to support hissyfits.
"We will take note of each and every vote on this issue."
ReplyDeleteThis administration can do nothing but make threats and tell lies. WaPo noted a few weeks ago that trying to pick out the top 10 "pinocchios" of 2017 because Trump told a lie on an average of 5.5 times a day.
I have read several articles lately on how people get others to believe lies. It has nothing to do with convincing them with logic that it is the truth. It seems to be just a matter of repeating something often enough. Eventually they will perceive it as truth. Some of the research indicates that about three reps is all that is necessary.
Delete"“For those who don’t have our back,” she added, “we’re taking names.”"
ReplyDeleteOf course, this anti-UN rhetoric is practically conservative boilerplate. It's red meat for Trump's base.
What I don't see is a strategy behind the gesture of supporting Jerusalem. It strikes me as the equivalent of kicking a quiet hornet's nest; Israeli/Palestinian tensions had been on a relatively low simmer as long as Syria and ISIS have been occupying everyone's attention in the Middle East. But for Trump to pick up a stick and take a whack at the nest is, well, pure Trump.
And why is he doing it now? Could it be to distract attention from things going on at home?
DeleteOne effect as heard from the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, but made by many others, the U.S. is no longer a broker (even a dishonest one) for any deal between Israel and Palestine. We could say that's long been the case, but it offered a useful illusion for Arab countries and Europe. Who, if anyone, will now step in? Macron of France?
ReplyDeleteWhy not Xi Jinping? He leads the rising power, already has the strongest economy (and Donald J. Trump's pants), and -- very important -- does not have a dog in the fight.
ReplyDeleteI thought Nikki Haley's parting shots were even more thuggish than her opening gambit
A disinterested third party might be of help. But on the other hand why would he complicate his own life, unless there's something in it for China?
DeleteI honestly thought Nikki Haley was better than that. Silly me, she's just another Trump appointee who doesn't let things like personal principles get in the way. I miss the days when I could be proud of my country, when it exercised principled leadership on the world stage, or did I just dream that part? It is kind of sickening. I would link the barfing unicorn gif again, but that would be childish.
ReplyDeleteHaley is living proof that, no matter what, woman as such are necessarily great leaders, politicians, or ambassadors. Instead of simply promoting women for important jobs, we should specify: smart, prudent, analytic, independent, strategic women...and just to avoid the Wick Witch, we should agree that it's okay if they're nice!
DeleteOOOOps! "Woman as such are NOT necessarily...."
DeleteFWIW, one of my conservative friends opined earlier today, "I am starting to warm up to the UN, because I get to hear Nikki Haley speak." :-) Conservatives, at least the ones I know, love Nikki Haley. I don't know how she'd fare as a woman of color in a Republican primary, but I hope she runs.
DeleteI thought Haley had her points before she got tied up with Trump. Does she identify as a "person of color"? Some Indian immigrants do, but not all. Speaking of Indian-American Republicans, whatever happened to Bobby Jindal?
DeleteJean, I don't know if she self-identifies as a "person of color". She doesn't minimize her Indian heritage, for whatever that's worth. Her Wikipedia page contains this charming anecdote:
Delete"When Haley was five years old, her parents entered her in the "Miss Bamberg" contest. The contest traditionally crowned a black queen and a white queen. Since the judges decided Haley did not fit either category, they disqualified her."
I've found her consistently to be among the more effective people among Trump's appointees. She's pretty articulate, and she plays the role she's supposed to play, which is to support her administration's policies, which she seems to do unapologetically.
It's fair game to criticize her for being willing to be part or a Trump administration. She never was an enthusiastic Trump supporter. She endorsed Marco Rubio in the South Carolina GOP primary (which to me is not a bad thing). After it became clear that Trump would get the nomination, she declared that she had no interest in being his running mate but she did fall into line to support him, as did the majority of GOP elected officials (and it can be argued that they should support their party's nominee).
To be candid, I don't know how many Republican voters would have an issue with her being a woman and being of Indian and Sikh descent (her Wikipedia page states that she was married in both Sikh and Methodist ceremonies, identifies today as a Christian but attends both Methodist and Sikh services). She was elected governor of a Southern state, so that suggests it's not necessarily fatal.
Jim: "I've found her consistently to be among the more effective people among Trump's appointees."
DeleteCan I assume you are not damning with faint praise? Thus, I ask, How so? Just mouthing Trump's words and views? I don't think that quite cuts it for an ambassador to the UN. She is representing the U.S. govt. I have had the impression that she and Rex Tillerson, the man in charge of the State Dept., don't seem to be on the same page. Nor do I detect at least in her public comments much continuity with U.S. policy either at the UN or on specific policy issues.
"The United States will remember this day in [sic] which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,” Haley said.
ReplyDeleteA close reading analysis (useless skill learned in English class) indicates to me how twisted the administration's understanding is--or at least how far they want to twist what happened in the U.N.
"The United States will remember." The phrase carries the idea of consequences and retaliation. It implies that the administration has no persuasive arguments for its stand and relies on threats instead.
"singled out." How could we NOT be singled out? As far as I know, we are the only nation that has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. We have singled ourselves out.
"attack." Hyperbole. We have not been "attacked." We have merely been told that no one agrees with us. What happened at the U.N. does not threaten our national safety or even prestige. You could argue that the fact that the U.N. felt it important enough to respond to Trump's declaration speaks to our importance on the world stage.
"exercising our right." The vote was not about whether we or any other member nation have the right to make policies regarding other nations. If I understand it correctly, the U.N. was merely reiterating long-standing policy on Jerusalem and clarifying that most other nations saw Trump's declaration as out of sync with their own.
"our right as a sovereign nation." If we have rights as a sovereign nation, then so do other nations. And they have the right to speak out and take stands as well.
"A close reading analysis (useless skill learned in English class)."
DeleteIf only THEY would read this, THEY might have a clue! Perhaps an offer of Remedial Reading Analysis for the WH and our UN Ambassadress.
I don't think they have the attention span for that. Trump reminds me a lot of WR Hearst, another mogul with presidential aspirations who played fast and lose with the facts. "Remember the Maine!" Hearst reportedly wasn't happy unless there were a million things going on at once. He'd run through the newsroom and yell, "Get excited, everybody!" I imagine the White House runs that way most days.
DeleteShe may be taking their names, but they have kicked her and Trumplethinskintinyhandserialadulterer's ass!
ReplyDelete