human rights

This makes such perfect sense:

"Obama's election has taken the wind out of al Qaeda's sails in much of the Islamic world because it demonstrates America's renewed commitment to multiculturalism, human rights, and international law. It also proves to many that democracy can work and overcome ethnic, sectarian, or racial barriers.

"Obama's commitment to withdraw from Iraq also takes away an al Qaeda propaganda tenet: that the U.S. seeks to occupy oil rich Arab lands. His commitment to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan also challenges their plans. Most of all, by returning to American values the world admires, Obama sets al Qaeda back enormously in the battle of ideas, the ideological struggle which determines whether al Qaeda will continue to have significant support in the Islamic world."

-Richard Clarke

Al Qaeda now has to face a United States with a President who is highly respected around the world. This puts a serious damper on their PR tactics. Yes – this is change you can believe in.

All this talk of "condemning" Sudan is nothing but that, talk. The Bush administration don't care what they are doing, so long as they can "help us":

Sudan has secretly worked with the CIA to spy on the insurgency in Iraq, an example of how the U.S. has continued to cooperate with the Sudanese regime even while condemning its suspected role in the killing of tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur.

President Bush has denounced the killings in Sudan's western region as genocide and has imposed sanctions on the government in Khartoum. But some critics say the administration has soft-pedaled the sanctions to preserve its extensive intelligence collaboration with Sudan.

The relationship underscores the complex realities of the post-Sept. 11 world, in which the United States has relied heavily on intelligence and military cooperation from countries, including Sudan and Uzbekistan, that are considered pariah states for their records on human rights.

A few points. First off, how can we justify taking out Saddam because of how he treated his people, when we are in fact supporting another regime guilty of the same thing?

Another, and more interesting point. What can we expect 20, 30 or 40 years down the road from this? I am talking about people who suffered at the hand of the Sudanese government? We very well could be breeding new terrorists from this action. In other words, history has taught us nothing.

Finally, I would like to know if this action is in violation of any U.N. resolutions. Numerous have been passed regarding Sudan, and I wouldn't be shocked if we were in violation of one some where. If that is the case then the Bush administration must be held accountable for this.

Via Media Matters

Hannity to guest: "I don't care about
your thoughts" on Iraq veterans protesting the war

On the September 26 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean
Hannity interrupted Global Exchange human rights director Ted Lewis's
discussion of Iraq war veterans protesting the war. Hannity declared, "I
don't care about your thoughts. You can tell them to [co-host] Alan [Colmes]."

From the September 26 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

HANNITY: Well, that's pretty much what [anti-war protester] Cindy Sheehan
has been saying: America is not worth dying for, that it's been taken over
by thugs. America without the Internet would be a fascist state. Are you
willing to align yourself with all that radical extremism?

LEWIS: Well, good evening, Sean.

HANNITY: Good evening.

LEWIS: You know, I saw kind of a different protest out there. There were
a lot of things going on. It really affected me to see so many Iraq veterans
out there marching in front of the White House, talking about their
experiences and why they're disillusioned with this policy. You know, it's
--

HANNITY: All right, Ted, I honestly, I'm not really -- I don't care about
your thoughts. You can tell them to Alan. I'm not asking you that.

Visit Media Matters
to view the clip of Chickenhawk Hannity and his hatred towards veterans
exercising the very rights they fought for.