Israel Matzav: What giving the medal of freedom to Mary Robinson says about Barack Obama

What giving the medal of freedom to Mary Robinson says about Barack Obama

Wednesday is the day that President Obama plans to bring disgrace upon the United States by presenting the medal of freedom to anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-American 'human rights activist' Mary Robinson. Giving the medal to Robinson has aroused so much fury that the fact that the medal is also being presented to South African bishop Desmond Tutu - who would also fit each of the adjectives above - has gone almost unnoticed.

There were a slew of articles on Tuesday about Robinson and I'd like to highlight them and send you off to read them on your own to understand why this vile woman is completely undeserving of the United States' highest civilian honor.

This is from former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton:

Durban is not the only reason Ms. Robinson should not receive the Medal of Freedom. Over the years she has actively opposed “the security or national interests of the United States,” one of the categories of eligibility for the Medal. Those in the administration who recommended her either ignored her anti-Israel history, or missed it entirely, as they either ignored or overlooked her hostility toward America’s role in promoting international peace and security. Or perhaps they share Ms. Robinson’s views.

One example, particularly significant today given the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, is Ms. Robinson’s strong opinions about the use of force. During the Clinton administration’s (and NATO’s) air campaign against Serbia because of its assault on Kosovo, for instance, she opined that “civilian casualties are human rights victims.” But her real objection was not to civilian casualties but to the bombing itself, saying “NATO remains the sole judge of what is or is not acceptable to bomb,” which she did not mean as a compliment.

In fact, Ms. Robinson wanted U.N. control over NATO’s actions: “It surely must be right for the Security Council . . . to have a say in whether a prolonged bombing campaign in which the bombers choose their target at will is consistent with the principle of legality under the Charter of the United Nations.” One wonders if this is also Mr. Obama’s view, given the enormous consequences for U.S. national security.

This February, asked whether former President George W. Bush should be prosecuted for war crimes, Ms. Robinson answered that it was “premature,” until a “process” such as an “independent inquiry” was established: “[T]hen the decision can be taken as to whether anybody will be held accountable.” In particular, she objected to the Bush administration’s “war paradigm” for dealing with terrorism, saying we actually “need to reinforce the criminal justice system.” Asked about Mr. Obama’s statements on “moving forward,” Ms. Robinson responded that “one of the ways of looking forward is to have the courage to say we must inquire.”

Ms. Robinson’s award shows Mr. Obama’s detachment from longstanding, mainstream, American public opinion on foreign policy. The administration’s tin ear to the furor over Ms. Robinson underlines how deep that detachment really is.

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Israel Matzav: What giving the medal of freedom to Mary Robinson says about Barack Obama