To: jlallen who wrote (42928 ) 4/16/2004 10:42:41 PM From: Lazarus_Long Read Replies (3) | Respond to Apologize immediately. You just insulted morons.April Glaspie, who was the American ambassador at the time, had never met Saddam, and she was called in to see Saddam with no notice at all. In other words, there wasn't any possibility of her getting back to Washington saying, "I'm seeing Saddam for the first time. What shall I say, what messages shall I pass?" She couldn't do that. I have talked to a lot of my colleagues and said, "What would you have said if you were with Saddam and the subject of Kuwait came up? You would say exactly what April said, wouldn't you?" I know I would have. He talked about the border dispute with Kuwait, and she took the straight American line, which is we do not take positions on border disputes between friendly countries. That's standard. That's what you always say. You would not have said, "Mr. President, if you really are considering invading Kuwait, by God, we'll bring down the wrath of God on your palaces, and on your country, and you'll all be destroyed." She wouldn't say that, nor would I. Neither would any diplomat. Yet she's been punished for not having made that extraordinary statement. It's an absurdity. But you had to find scapegoats. And who is the scapegoat--George Bush? Baker? Metzenbaum? Dole? None are satisfactory scapegoats. April Glaspie has no constituency at all. pbs.org
