Obama Advisor Susan Rice’s Major Historical/Foreign Policy Error
June 11th, 2008 at 10:26am KMorrison
YouTube Clip of Susan Rice’s Statement
Unfortunately, Susan Rice’s statement regarding the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting, “Thank God he did because if he hadn’t we would have not been able to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis” is completely false. In fact historians agree that this meeting fueled the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Weekly Standand, in detailing the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting, quotes NYT columnist James Reston who interviewed President Kennedy right after his meeting with Khrushchev,
“Reston reported that Kennedy said just enough for Reston to conclude that Khrushchev “had studied the events of the Bay of Pigs” and that he had “decided that he was dealing with an inexperienced young leader who could be intimidated and blackmailed.” Kennedy said to Reston that Khrushchev had “just beat [the] hell out of me” and that he had presented Kennedy with a terrible problem: “If he thinks I’m inexperienced and have no guts, until we remove those ideas we won’t get anywhere with him. So we have to act.”
Kennedy responded to the meeting with a congressional request for a dramatic increase in defense spending, and a significant increase in the size of the military. Khrushchev responded to Kennedy’s actions with above ground nuclear testing and erecting the Berlin Wall. The tensions between the US and Soviet Union dramatically increased due to the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting; the Cuban Missile Crisis followed.
Susan Rice’s statement is simply false. There is no historical record of the Kennedy Khrushchev meeting being at all helpful in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis and actually the exact opposite true that an inexperienced leader was bullied into an arms race.
First Published at Purple People Vote
Entry Filed under: Barack Obama, John McCain, Media Bias, Uncategorized, War on Terror, iraq
11 Comments Add your own
1. Joe | June 11th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Why are you upset that an advisor to Obama said something like this, yet you don’t seem to care that McCain couldn’t (and still doesn’t) get the difference between Sunni and Shia…….. FOUR times?
2. Matt DiBari | June 11th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
And Barack Obama has no idea what language is spoken in Afghanistan or who grows what crops and why in the various middle east countries.
Joe, you really don’t want to get into this particular pissing contest.
Besides what does that have anything to do with Obama basing his foreign policy on one of the bigger foreign policy blunders of the last century?
3. KMorrison | June 11th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Joe, I don’t think you even believe that Senator McCain doesn’t know the difference between Sunni and Shia. Susan Rice interupted Secretary Lehman to confidently declare how wonderful it was that Kennedy and Khrushchev met without preconditions. Not only do historians dispute this, but President Kennedy himself said he got beaten up at that meeting. Susan Rice’s statement shows she is either lacking knowledge of basic history (in an area where a foreign policy advisor should be well versed), or she made a campaign decision that most people like President Kennedy, and wouldn’t know the difference if she made a false statement.
The candidates all have gaffe’s mixing up words and saying things in a way they didn’t mean them. This isn’t one of those cases, this a confident untrue statement.
4. Joe | June 11th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Matt, I’m not trying to get into any pissing contest over this. I am saying that this is (yet another) non-issue.
You are taking offense over something an advisor said about something that happened 45 years ago.
Meanwhile… while our troops are in the middle of a battle between Sunni and Shia, McCain doesn’t know the difference or doesn’t want to know the difference between the two entities.
Is this entire Presidential campaign all about he said/she said or is this going to be about issues?
Really… a prime example is over at BlogsforVictory they are up in arms because Obama signed some stupid memo to the Sec of Defense with “I look forward to your swift response”. They are calling him arrogant and ignorant.
For everything you bring up about something Obama or an advisor or an acquaintence says, I can bring one up about McCain, his advisors and his acquaintences.
Enough of the he said/she said and lets get down to things that actually matter to the US people.
For cryin out loud… gas is over $4, forecloseures are still sky high, food prices are exploding…etc.
Who cares about some comment about a 45 year old meeting?
5. Joe | June 11th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
KMorrison,
I am fine with believing that McCain is smart enough to know the difference between Sunni and Shia. Yet he still confused them FOUR TIMES on that trip that he took. So was he lying, was he trying to sell an attack on Iran? What was he doing?
Once is fine. Twice is questionable. Three times is either not knowing or doing it on purpose. What is four times?
6. Matt DiBari | June 11th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
When that 45 year old meeting is being used to justify his foreign policy, it would be nice if he knew how that meeting worked out.
Basically the Obama Campaign is pledging to repeat one of John Kennedy’s biggest blunders. If that’s not an issue, what on earth is it?
And as of the last week, Obama is really in no position to get on the soap box about mortgages or high gas prices.
7. Danish Artist | June 11th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Wow, Joe, you are almost a one man argument AND LOSING!
Why are you here?
Tired of defending the indefensible Obamessiah and came here for a little McCain bashing?
8. KMorrison | June 11th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Joe - If that’s the comparison you want to make, run with it.
Here’s my point. Senator Obama has no foreign policy experience, and if his advisors don’t know foreign policy history (particualrly the basic stuff) that’s scary. If she does know her history, and was willing to mislead people for political points that is something I’d hammer any candidate on any day of the week.
I fully acknowlege there is plenty of silliness in politics and particularly campaigning, but this is a real issue. Do Obama advisors know their stuff? Are they willing to mislead people to attain votes?
9. KMorrison | June 11th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
In a brief defense of Joe; I’ve seen a bunch or Obama supporter’s comments around the web, and Joe is one of the best. I disagree with him often, but he doesn’t insult or talk down to people and I wish other Obama supporters would learn a lesson in manners from him.
10. Matt DiBari | June 11th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Joe is great. This blog isn’t here to just for us to pat each other on the back and agree with everything someone says. Nothing wrong with a little healthy debate and conversation, especially if it can remain civil.
11. Joe | June 11th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Thanks guys. I too don’t agree with you on things, but there is no need to be like some out here.
Those common posters on BlogsforVictory get awfully annoying (see Danish Artist).
I don’t go to Kos because I am not one that wants to agree with everyone in a discussion and it is good to see what others talk about and what they feel.
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