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February 25, 2005

The Smartest Woman In the World Insults Iraq's Likely New Prime Minister

Ahhh, the sophistication and nuance of Democratic diplomacy:

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has touched off a diplomatic flap with Iraq's incoming government by questioning whether the leading candidate to become the next prime minister is too close to Iran's ayatollahs.
The likely new prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, shot back at Clinton, who just completed a visit to Iraq, by questioning her credibility as a spokeswoman for U.S. foreign policy.

"Hillary Clinton, as far as I know, does not represent any political decision or the American administration and I don't know why she said this," al-Jaafari told The Times of London.

"She knows nothing about the Iraq situation," he added.

...

"There are grounds for concern and for vigilance about this," said Clinton, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Deciding she needed to do even more to advance American interests around the globe, she then offered her opinion that Tony Blair "might not be gay per se, but I'm sure he didn't make it through the British public school system with his boycherry completely intact."

The weird thing about this is that Ahmed Chalabi may actually be picked, after all that stuff about how no Iraqis would ever accept him.

He probably won't be picked, but I think the fact that he is al-Jaafari's major competition within the party says something, yet again, about the predictions of the anti-war left.

Ummm... A Clarification I Didn't Think Was Necessary: Hillary did not say that about Tony Blair.

It's the usual set-up you see on Conan O'Brien or Weekend Update on SNL. First comes the real news, then comes a hyperbolic joke riffing off the news item.

I thought that was obvious. But sometimes, I guess, the obvious isn't so obvious.

posted by Ace at 04:51 PM

Comments

Save these items for the '08 election. They will be useful.

I can't believe the Blair comment. Open mouth - insert foot.

Is there a site out there for "Hill-isms" yet. Should be.

Posted by: Cheese_tensor on February 25, 2005 05:34 PM

I certainly do not consider Hillary to be the smartest woman in the world - I would probably place Condi well above Hilli - but it seems to me that she has simply given voice to one of the very concerns that Bush has - and is one of the reasons that Bush prefers Allawi - but does not dare say out loud.

I agree that Hillary does not have the standing to make policy for the US but, as a Senator, she certainly has the right to be concerned. What Clinton has said is not all that different - in kind, not in content, of course - from what Bush has done in Moscow by voicing concerns about the shrinking of democracy in Russia.

Posted by: Craig R. Harmon on February 25, 2005 05:41 PM

Perhaps you're right... but then there's a reason some things are not dared to say aloud, and it's called "diplomacy."

Which is something I thought I had heard the Democrats were very keen on.

Posted by: ace on February 25, 2005 05:45 PM

But it should also be rememberd that this United Iraq party is also considering the very secular Chalabi... so it would not appear that the party itself would support a hard-line religious PM for very long. They seem to be a coalition of the religious and secular, and you know the sort of results such coalitions bring about.

Just look at the Republican Party.

Posted by: ace on February 25, 2005 05:47 PM

Yes to your diplomacy remark. On the other hand, it is precisely because Hillery is not a representative of the Bush Administration that she can voice such concern. I have no doubt that - to hearken back to my point about Bush and Putin over the state of Democracy in Russia - Hillery is attempting to sound 'Presidential'.

Posted by: Craig R. Harmon on February 25, 2005 06:06 PM

boycherry?? OMG. I learn something new here every day :)

Posted by: BrewFan on February 25, 2005 06:39 PM

Ace,

Please put up a cite for the quote on Blair. That is absolutely too outrageous. If that is not satire, I have to read the whole thing.

Posted by: Dave on February 25, 2005 07:39 PM

knock, knock McDave are you in there? McDave!

Posted by: BrewFan on February 25, 2005 07:47 PM

Okay, so it's satire and I have not consumed enough beer to fully appreciate the "nuance". A sad situation which I intend to remedy, forthwith.

Posted by: Dave on February 25, 2005 07:52 PM

This post had absolutely nothing to do with Marilyn vos Savant?! Dammit Ace!

Posted by: Cliff S. on February 25, 2005 08:37 PM

LOL Did someone really think HIllary actually said "boycherry?"

Posted by: TallDave on February 25, 2005 08:52 PM

Speaking of hyperbolic jokes, I presume that the readership knows the one with the punchline: "Don't worry, Father, the 'smartest man in the world' just jumped out of the plane with my backpack".

I wonder how many times Hillary will have the opportunity to jump between now and Election Day 2008.

Posted by: John "Akatsukami" Braue on February 25, 2005 08:57 PM

If you want to do O'Brien, you must first make a bunch of odd faces, prance around the stage a little bit, do a few spins until everyone says "this guy is funny?", THEN tell the joke.

Posted by: Just Don on February 26, 2005 09:22 AM

Posted by: on June 6, 2005 07:49 PM

Posted by: on June 6, 2005 09:14 PM