In his latest special comment, Keith Olbermann demolishes Condoleezza Rice ... this time, on her apparently scant knowledge of American history regarding our entry into the second world war. get her, Keith! First, here's Condi's statement, from this weekend's "Fox News Sunday":
"…It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown."
But ... as Keith points out, it doesn't take much more than a middle school education to know that first off, the resolution that sent us into World War II didn't "authorize us to overthrow Adolph Hitler." The United States enterd World War II following an attack on our fleet in Hawaii by the Empire of Japan. President Roosevelt went to Congress and sought a declaration of war ... against Japan. Once in the war, the U.S. fought Japan and it's allies in the Axis, thus, placing us at war with the Germans (in fact, Roosevelt had wanted the U.S. to enter the war against Germany, in order to help our allies in France and England, but Congressional Republicans -- then isolationists -- and the American people, had no interest in getting involved in the war.)
Second, once Germany was defeated and HItler was dead, President Roosevelt did indeed go back to Congress to ask for an authorization to "deal with creating a stable environment in Europe." As Keith deftly pointed out -- not through rocket science, mind you, but via a very basic knowledge of American history -- it was called the "Marshall Plan" -- and the Marshall in question, George C., happened to be the U.S. secretary of state. You'd think Ms. Rice would at least be conversant in the history of her own profession.
It's rather a sad commentary on our country that we have a secretary of state who barely understands the history of the United States, and who speaks authoritatively and blithely about matters she either has not thought thorugh, or about which she is willing to lie, or prevaricate, in order to win a political point.
It's high time the Congress strip the Bush administration and its incompetent team of power over American foreign policy. Clearly at this stage, to paraphrase the song by The Fray, everyone knows they're in over thier heads.
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dim done
done = request.form("done")
if done = "" then
done = "No"
%>
Tell a friend
<%
Else
if request.form("done") = "Yes" then
'sets variables
dim email, sendmail
email = request.form("email")
Set sendmail = Server.CreateObject("CDONTS.NewMail")
'put the webmaster address here
sendmail.From = "webmaster@aspbasics.com"
'The mail is sent to the address entered in the previous page.
sendmail.To = email
'Enter the subject of your mail here
sendmail.Subject = "Check out this website"
'send a specific page or send a site url
dim url
'url = Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
url = "http://www.aspbasics.net"
'This is the content of the message.
sendmail.Body = "Site recommendation from a friend!" & _
vbCrlf & vbCrlf & "A friend has sent you this email and thought you would should check out this site." & _
vbCrlf & url & vbCrlf
'this sets mail priority.... 0=low 1=normal 2=high
sendmail.Importance = 1
sendmail.Send 'Send the email!
response.redirect Request.ServerVariables("HTTP_REFERER")
'Response.write ("Sent to ") & email
End if
End if
%>
"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788