Hillary Exposes ‘Weak Link’ in Democratic Government

‘Retribution, swift vengeance, eternal malice were in her whole aspect, and spite of all mortal men could do – the said solid white buttress of her forehead smite the ship’s starboard bow.’
(apologies to Moby Dick)

It seems that a global consensus against Senator Hillary Clinton is forming, after her razor-thin victory in Indiana and significant defeat in North Carolina.

This editorial from Lebanon’s Daily Star not only lambastes Hillary for pandering – pointedly in regard to her threat to ‘obliterate’ Iran – but it uses her bad example as a way of pointing out a glaring deficiency in Democratic government as it is presently conducted.

In the words of the Daily Star of Lebanon – which has been relatively friendly in its stance toward the United States and the West:

“Whatever she does in the future, nothing will erase her demonstration of the worst aspects of American politics – particularly her recent statement that she would ‘obliterate’ Iran if it ever threatened Israel with nuclear weapons … The context of her threatening statement is telling, in that it exposes the weak link in America’s democratic system – or any democratic system: the inclination of candidates running for public office to pander to the basest prejudices, sentiments and fears of the voting public.”

Then in regard to the anti-Iranian sentiment in America, the editorial says:

“The United States and Iran may disagree about many things; but for one to use threats of obliteration as a policy toward the other strikes us as a rather crude and offensive strategy, especially for a world power.”

One interesting question to ponder is whether Hezbullah’s takeover on Friday of much of Beirut, will also put an end the the independence of the pro-West Daily Star.

EDITORIAL

May 8, 2008

Lebanon – The Daily Star – Original Article (English)

In the coming days or weeks, Hillary Clinton’s fate as a presidential hopeful will be decided. But whatever she does in the future, nothing will erase her demonstration of the worst aspects of American politics – particularly her recent statement that she would “obliterate” Iran if it ever threatened Israel with nuclear weapons. The substance of the New York senator’s words are hard to evaluate due to the hypothetical nature of the damage she threatens to impose. Were she ever to become president and order such an attack, many other Americans would have to agree with the decision in order for it to be implemented, particularly the top military brass.

The context of her threatening statement is telling, in that it exposes the weak link in America’s democratic system – or any democratic system: the inclination of candidates running for public office to pander to the basest prejudices, sentiments and fears of the voting public. Clinton has been a particularly dynamic panderer this year, jumping on every opportunity to make her appear to be a woman of the people, whether drinking shots of whisky or calling for gas-tax holidays. In this case, she chose to play on widespread American opposition to Iran, which is in turn a function of several factors. In American politics these days, Iran is the bad guy par excellence, whether for its role in Iraq, its strategic ambitions in the Middle East, its nuclear policy, its rhetorical threats against Israel, or to its a general assertion of Islamist identity and politics. Americans also remain angry at Iranians for overthrowing the Shah in 1979 and then taking and holding Americans hostages for many months.

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing foreign press coverage of the U.S. election.