If I were African-American I would be offended just a little. I would feel insulted and condescended to. Just how stupid does the White House think African-Americans are? I mean to tie Iraq to slavery… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Condoleezza Rice was one of the last people in the Bush administration I had some respect for. Not very much mind you, but some, and that is better than what I have for her comrades. Now it appears she has decided to casually toss that last bit of respect I had out the window. I will miss it.
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State of the United States of America, gave an interview to Essence magazine that is such race-baiting drivel that it boggles the mind. If it were not for the ultimate tabloid, the New York Daily News, it might have gone unnoticed. She actually uses slavery and the American Civil War to justify not leaving Iraq in an analogy that makes no sense at all, stating "I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold… I know there were people who said, 'Why don't we get out of this now, take a peace with the South, but leave the South with slaves?'"
I might be really bad at analogies, but I just do not see the connection. Is she saying Iraq is in a civil war now? That would be contrary to the official White House position. Is she saying that the Iraqis are currently slaves? To whom exactly? We removed Saddam from power and set them up with a government. We have passed three “deadlines” and “historic events” there already. How many more exactly do we need?
There is also the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, two years into a war already being fought. This would mean that slavery was not even the major issue in the Civil War, but what use are facts anyway? I can see why they get confused.
Article comments
1 - Lady Dragonfyre
I see a definite connection - a disturbing one.
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the union couldn't just withdraw and wash its hands of it. Between the economic destruction and the sudden release of the slaves, the South was turned upside down. Then, the Reconstruction began.
How many Northerners thought the slaves would be "free" after the Emancipation? How many felt confident that the released slaves would enjoy the rest of their lives in peace and liberty?
They, like Southern whites, suffered the aftermath of a near-breakdown of social order. They suffered lynchings, beatings, etc., etc. A life of slavery offered more security than their new found "freedom."
We're not going to "free" the Iraqis from the aftermath of our invasion. History will repeat itself. Our pathetic efforts to "democratize" and "stabilize" Iraq to appease our guilty consciousnesses won't be any more effective than the Reconstruction was after the Civil War.
Regardless of what we do, the aftermath of this war will plague the Iraqis for a LONG time. How much better off are they now, compared to when Saddam was in power?
Ms. Rice sounds like Bush, trying to make this war out to be a simplistic moral crusade -- Good Christians fighting the terrorist bad guys in order to free the oppressed.
We didn't fight the Civil War to free the slaves. Slave emancipation was just a convenient carrot dangled in front of Northern citizens to foster support for a controversial war.
Fast forward about 140 years. Ms. Rice is doing the same thing, using an idealized "Civil War" carrot to rally the mag's African American audience. I think it's shameful.
2 - Brad Schader
I am most bothered by her saying this not in a major newspaper or television interview, but to Essance magazine. That makes it race baiting to me.
3 - Baronius
Brad, this analogy was pretty common two years ago. I'm surprised you don't remember it. On the one hand was Bush, the incumbent Republican. On the other side, the former military man who focused on criticizing the conduct of the war, rather than offering specifics about what he would do differently. The American people re-elected the president, opting not to "change horses midstream".
4 - Brad Schader
I don't recall the slavery analogy, no. I think the point of my story is getting lost. I probably did not explain it well enough. I must work on that. My point is that the slavery analogy has not been used before until Condi was interviewed in Essance magazine.
5 - Baronius
Brad, I got your point. I haven't read the original Essence article, but I don't see a lot of difference between the 1864/2004 analogy and the Civil War/Iraq War analogy. Let me amend that: they're the same analogy.
6 - Dave Nalle
This blind loyalty to Bush and his party forever will cause me to question if her actions are for him or for the country.
Does blind hatred of Bush and his party ever give you pause to question?
Dave
7 - Brad Schader
I do not hate Bush nor his party. Answering a question with a question is not an answer by the way.
I have blind hatred of lies and spin. A war that started off to disarm a person of WMD's turned into nation building and now is occupation. This attempt to compare it to slavery is ridiculous.
Baronius,
I do not see analogy that works with the Civil war, WW2, or Vietnam with Iraq. You will have to explain it to me.