I'm not a fan of Pol Pot either.

But y'know who was a big supporter of the Khmer Rouge?

Ronald Reagan.

" This support continued in various forms - including recognition of the Khmer Rouge in the United Nations and food aid to the group -- throughout the administrations of former presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush." [source]

"Pol Pot, an enemy of the Soviet Union, also gained support from Thailand and the US. In particular, the US and the PRC vetoed the allocation of Cambodia's United Nations General Assembly seat to a representative of Heng Samrin's government. Influenced by realpolitik the US directly and indirectly supported Pol Pot...Because he was anti-Soviet, the United States, Thailand and People's Republic of China considered him preferable to the pro-Vietnamese government. At times, the United States directly and indirectly supported Pol Pot and his hostility against the Soviet Union." [source]

"In fact, the US had been secretly funding Pol Pot in exile since January 1980. The extent of this support - $85m from 1980 to 1986 - was revealed in correspondence to a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On the Thai border with Cambodia, the CIA and other intelligence agencies set up the Kampuchea Emergency Group, which ensured that humanitarian aid went to Khmer Rouge enclaves in the refugee camps and across the border. Two American aid workers, Linda Mason and Roger Brown, later wrote: "The US government insisted that the Khmer Rouge be fed . . . the US preferred that the Khmer Rouge operation benefit from the credibility of an internationally known relief operation." [source]

Hey, you know who was a big supporter of the Teletubbies bid to take over CNN and beam their brain-melting mindwaves into the homes of American toddlers? RONALD REAGAN.

It's true, I read it on the internet. [Source]

How's the erotic vegetarianism going, Donny baby?

I'm probably going to regret asking this, but 'erotic vegetarianism?'

Pol Pot was given the short end of the media stick. They were the most effective communist death camp government, killing a greater percentage of their population than Mao or Stalin could have hoped. I blame Hollywood, and their rightwing bias, for using The Killing Fields as pro-US propaganda. Like that shit don't happen here with the Patriot Act everyday. That Pol Pots lack of popularity is merely bad PR.

Oh, and good point on Reagan. I knew we could fit him in there somewhere. I was trying to prove that PotPot was reading Ayn Rand when he killed 1/3 of the population.

But seriously

Although I thought that when the Democrats abandoned Vietnam in 1973, they also abandoned the good guys in Cambodia as well. The killings began in about 1975. In 1979, they lost power, effectively being removed to the border of thailand.

As Wikipedia puts it:

The Khmer Rouge retreated to the west and continued to control an area near the Thai border for the next decade, unofficially protected by elements of the Thai Army and funded by smuggled diamonds and timber.

The U.S. and other Western governments, along with China, voted in the UN to continue to recognize "Democratic Kampuchea" as the legitimate government of Cambodia, in order to signal their disapproval of the Vietnamese occupation

But yeah, apparently the US gave them humanitarian aid in the 80's, as a thumb in the eye of the USSR, but that proves that Reagan loved them. You get a sarcastic teenage movie slow clap,
clap

clap clap

clap

Reagan actually used the Pol Pot massacres as a major talking point against socialism.

It's true---Reagan used the Pol Pot massacres as a major talking point against socialism. He gave (that's an action verb, kids) the Khmer Rouge $85 million.

We liberals usually value actions over words. Apparently, the opposite is true for y'all.

The erotic vegetarianism thing is super, andrea. Thanks for asking!

How is the self-absorbed dross working out for you?

This point is too stupid to go any further.

These goofs argue Reagan was a big supporter of the Khmer Rogue because $85 mil of humanitarian aid, spread over 5 years, made it to them. This happened when they were out of power, Cambodia having three rebel groups opposed to Heng Samrin's regime, including the Khmer. Democrat Stephen Solarz pushed for this aid. The Senate, State Dept and White House went down this road to kick Vietnam out of Cambodia. But ok, Regan hated communism, but loved -nay, was a big supporter of- the Khmer. Gosh, I better go curl into a ball as all my assumptions about life are challenged.

Don, you keep on believing that.

joe:

"Love" is probably too strong a world---but that's your word, not mine.

But I think $85 mill at least constitutes "support," don't you?

I'm not trying to make you curl up in a ball, either. I just want to remind y'all of recent history. I mean, it's not like this is some kind of state secret/grassy-knoll conspiracy. I lived through the Reagan regime and it was in all the papers, dude.

Reagan's monetary support of the Khmer Rouge, and his efforts to get the UN to recognize them as the legitimate gov't of Cambodia after they were deposted, are all part of the public record.

Don't believe me? Then trot down to your local library and look it up!

To sum up:

Pol Pot: bad. Very bad. Very, very, very bad. I think we can all agree on that, right?

Reagan: bad, but nowhere near as bad as Pol Pot.

I understand where hanoi janes photo and john kerrys are both in the same hanoi museum with the infamous POL POT