The Obama administration sent a delegation to Geneva to see if the United States could participate in any way in Durban II. Well, it wasted some air fare and hotel charges. But it found that there was no way that American could or should join in what was clearly to turn into a hate fest: against western democracies, liberals, Israel, Jews and--surprise--the United States itself. The decision to stay away from the April gathering was made last night and has just begun to filter through Washington. I think the metaphor used to me was that I was being looped in. Or maybe it was some other usage of loop. In any case, I can flatter myself that my Spines did some good.
The fact is, however, that--although Ambassador Rice wanted to show good face, as some people call it--full participation was dead from the beginning. By the time the Geneva meeting was over (what does what do in Geneva after one buys a watch?) the original document from Durban I in August 2001 had been burdened by more than a hundred other insults to this country and its friends that it was clear even to enthusiasts of engagement with every swine on the map that this would not fly.
Among the new causes brought into mad focus was to bar criticism of religions.You know what that means.
I have an instinct that the finale for Geneva was hastened by the Freeman disaster about which I wrote thrice yesterday. No one can explain what the president sees in him that would allow such a crude propagandist and bigot to be judge of what intelligence information the president sees and what he does not. The intelligence machinery of the country has been under suspicion for years because of ignorance or bureaucratic conflicts. Add now the fact that Freeman loves the Chinese dictatorship and that he is a shill for the king of Saudi Arabia. Oh yes, and he clearly despises friends of Israel, Jewish or not.