[Alex]
I fear that the Christopher Caldwell op-ed on Darfur Clive cited earlier is depressingly accurate. Maybe the killing in Darfur doesn’t amount to genocide as the term is generally understood. I don’t know. I’m far from an expert on the matter. But I do know that there is something morally repugnant about declaring genocide and then doing almost nothing to stop it.
It may be that there is little that the US can usefully do in Sudan, but in that case it would be better to say nothing than to stand on the sidelines arguing that something must be done so long as we’re not expected to actually do any of it ourselves.
You can always count on the Bush administration for fine words but if we’ve learnt anything these past six years it’s to look at what they do, not just what they say.
We’ve been here before of course. Perhaps the most disgusting passage in Bill Clinton’s shabby memoirs is the moment he declares his failure to act on Rwanda "became one of the greatest regrets of my presidency" – a statement that might carry more weight had he devoted more than a handful of paragraphs to the subject in the course of his 1,000 page apologia.
Will bush’s ghostwriter also have to wash his hands in this manner?
The Dish 