A hero for America

Condi Rice was in Haiti today, urging that “each and every citizen of Haiti should take it as his or her personal responsibility and personal obligation and personal honor to vote”. Can you imagine what it must feel like to hear those words from the representative of a government that facilitated the coup that displaced your last elected president? Asked about Aristide, she supported his continued forcible exile: “Well, in fact, the international community is of one mind that it would not be a good thing for Mr. Aristide to return. I think that is very clear. The Haitian people are moving on.”

In the course of torpedoing the naming of a post office in Berkeley after long-time activist Maudelle Shirek, Rep. Steve King of Iowa made various unsubstantiated charges against her. When accused of McCarthyite tactics, he called McCarthy “a hero for America.” Isn’t it nice to know that there are congresscritters still willing to defend Tailgunner Joe? I wonder how many others there are.