Human Rights Hypocrisy: Hidden In Plain Sight

[Joanne98]

Human Rights Hypocrisy: Hidden In Plain Sight
By Robert Weissman
There was a time, not so long ago, when U.S. governmental hypocrisy on human rights and corporate interests was at least acknowledged.

But now it seems that the Bush administration has so degraded society’s standards, and Big Business so routinely claims that it is bound by no ethical standard except to make money and follow the law — even as it aims to define that very law, and then frequently flouts the remaining legal restraints — that the hypocrisy is no longer even acknowledged.

At his news conference yesterday, George Bush angrily said they he could not and would not meet with the new President of Cuba, Raul Castro, because of Cuba’s human rights record. Then, eight minutes later, he explained how excited he was to visit China for the Summer Olympics — a visit during which he will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Just a month-and-a-half ago, the same George Bush visited with the Saudi King Abdullah, having a grand time with the King on his extravagant ranch.

Won’t talk to Castro. Conferring with Hu. Relaxing with King Abdullah. Hmm.

Why not talk with adversaries in Cuba, Bush was asked.

His reply: “What’s lost by embracing a tyrant who puts his people in prison because of their political beliefs? What’s lost is it will send the wrong message. It will send a discouraging message to those who wonder whether America will continue to work for the freedom of prisoners. It will give great status to those who have suppressed human rights and human dignity.”

The questioner pressed: “No one is saying embrace him, they’re just saying talk.”

Bush responds: “Right, okay, good, thank you for reminding me to use a different word. Sitting down at the table, having your picture taken with a tyrant such as Raul Castro, for example, lends the status of the office and the status of our country to him. He gains a lot from it by saying, look at me, I’m now recognized by the President of the United States.”

Then again using the term “embrace,” he adds: “Now, somebody would say, well, I’m going to tell him to release the prisoners. Well, it’s a theory that all you got to do is embrace and these tyrants act. That’s not how they act. That’s not what causes them to respond.”

Eight minutes later came the question about China and the Olympics.

What messages does it send when you go to China, where human rights are suppressed?
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/01/7394/