This man has the qualities Republicans should love. He has taken a strong stand against a nation Israel considers an enemy. He refuses to be intimidated by the dictator of that nation. He supports democratic aspirations against the dictator among his subjects. He has repeatedly put himself in harms way, displaying courage in the face of danger that Republicans should respect. But Barack Obama had to appoint him to his post temporarily. Meet the man Republicans won’t confirm.
Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hurled rocks and tomatoes at U.S. ambassador Robert Ford’s convoy as he visited an opposition figure in Damascus on Thursday in an attack the U.S. said was "wholly unjustified."
Ford and his party were not injured, the U.S. State Department said, but several embassy vehicles were damaged and the ambassador had to lock himself in an office to await help from Syrian security.
Syria, which has been irked by Ford’s meetings with opposition figures, accused Washington of inciting violence and meddling in its affairs. Washington demanded that Syria take steps to protect U.S. diplomats.
"We condemn this unwarranted attack in the strongest possible terms. Ambassador (Robert) Ford and his aides were conducting normal embassy business and this attempt to intimidate our diplomats through violence is wholly unjustified," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
"We immediately raised this incident with the Syrian government and we are demanding that they take every possible step to protect our diplomats according to their obligations under international law."
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Ford had been in touch with senior department officials. "He is calm. He is resolute. And he is determined to continue to carry out his duties," he said.
Assad’s crackdown on six months of pro-democracy protests has envenomed relations with the United States, which has imposed fresh sanctions and rallied world pressure on Syria.
President Barack Obama took office in 2009 pledging to engage in dialogue with Damascus and named Ford as ambassador… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Reuters>
He almost personifies a cowboy diplomat, a Republican ideal, and Republican refusal to confirm him is pure hypocrisy.
Rachel Maddow fleshes this story out.
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When a man does his job so selflessly and so well, supporting him should not be reduced to political opportunism, as Republicans have done to their shame.
7 Responses to “The man Republicans won’t confirm”
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It doesn’t matter if he is the right or wrong person for the job. If Pres. Obama wants him, he must not be good.
You know that’s how the obstructionists think.
Exactly!
In a way- it is so sad these obstructionist repugs are so preoccupied with their determination to sink President Obama , they will take this country down–They do not have smarts enough to recognize , or care what damage their short sighted behaviors will do- Hypocrisy– good word to describe them–
And we must hang that around their necks like an albatross.
I like Rachel Maddow’s description: Ambadassador
Robert Ford is doing everything he can for the US in Syria, including defying the Syrian government’s travel restrictions by meeting with rebels and trying to observe the action. It takes a special kind of person to stay calm in such circumstances.
In thinking about why the Republican obstructionists would refuse to confirm him, I can only think about what Ellen wrote: He could follow every insaniTEA practice and gospel…they wouldn’t confirm God himself as long as it was Obama’s choice.
Bingo!
Test 😉