Send a message--remove Alberto Fernandez from PR duties at State Department
By smagar Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Alberto Fernandez, the State Department official who told alJazeera that the US had shown "arrogance" and "stupidity" in Iraq (hat tip Michelle Malkin), has now apologized. Not good enough. If well-meaning people do really, really dumb things that (a) make life hard for their employer (in this case, the United States of America) and (b) raise doubts as to our ability to trust their judgement and work product in the future, then (c) we move those well-meaning people to a job where they WON'T have the chance to screw up again, and screw us in the process!
"Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al-Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase 'there has been arrogance and stupidity' by the U.S. in Iraq," said Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in State's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
"This represents neither my views nor those of the State Department," Fernandez added. "I apologize."
Roar. Big fat hairy deal. When the drunk driver apologizes for running over your kid, and then asks you to let bygones be bygones because he's never done anything this bad before, do you say "Okey-dokey! Hey, you mean well overall, and my health insurance will pay for my kid's wheelchair, so what the heck?"
NO! NO! NO!
I'll bet Fernandez and the rest of the kum-bay-yah crowd at State feel that, now that he has said that he's SORRY!, we should all be understanding and forget this ever happened.
Well, I have another idea.
FIRE HIM from this position. He has lost the right to keep it. Demote him, as a consequence for being stupid, stupid, stupid in a way that makes it harder for the State Department and the US government to achieve peace in the world!
Someone needs to explain to Fernandez that alJazeera and the Arab media and alQaeda are going to keep repeating what he said. And repeating it, and repeating it, and repeating it. He's given them a stick--his words and image on TV--that Arab propagandists will gladly use to beat us with. Those same propagandists will surely hear his explanation and apology. At which time, they'll just as surely choose NOT to pass that on to their listeners!
If you hurt the cause, you pay. If you do something that leads your bosses to doubt your judgement and capability, then you move on. That's life.
Alberto Fernandez should take his medicine. He earned it. And, his bosses at State should make sure to administer it to him.
http://www.britlink.org/images/maps/south_georgia_map1a.jpg
Jsteele has some good tongue-in-cheek humor here! South Georgia Island is at about 54 degrees south latitude and has a penguin on its flag. Not exactly the climate of Savannah!
But a warm enough welcome for someone who calls his country "arrogant and stupid" on the enemy's propaganda TV. A good cooling-off period.
The bad news: Conservatism is hard to sell. The good news is that it works.
ungrateful bastard should be fired right on the spot, this guy is not even American, he's Cuban. Check this other article titled: Anti-American diplomat Alberto Fernandez says he 'misspoke' on Iraq
at:
http://blog.americasnewstoday.com/2006/10/23/antiamerican-diplomat-alber...
2). You do not, in point of fact, get to declare him to be not an American just because you don't like him. The man was an anti-Castro refugee who came to this country when he was 1 year old; I think that it's perfectly safe to assume that he's been naturalized, particularly considering his military service and current job. So you will retract that slur in your next comment here, or it will be your last comment here.
Yes, I can make that stick.
3). Indeed, it was a very dumb thing to say, but Yigal Carmon of MEMRI apparently likes what he does, which is a definite point in Fernandez' favor.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
It's curious to see how the the narrow minded and arrogant are quick to jump on others for expressing their views.
When leaders talk about "freedom" and how the actions we take as a country are done in its pursuit why do we not tolarate our own people from speaking their mind? Not only that but, it so typical of those with racist and bigoted mindset to always pull the 'foreigner' card. I'm curious c_l_2006402, what cesspool did you or your ancestors derive from?
When you bring a Mercedes Benz automobile from Germany you assign a number to the car to make it LEGAL to drive in the United States. You don't call it an American car, but instead you call it an "import". Same trash with this Fernandez guy.
Now, about your threat: "So you will retract that slur in your next comment here, or it will be your last comment here."
This is the United States of America!!!, liberal pig -- you should move to Cuba if you think for a second you can threat my FREEDOM of speech.
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"I am a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more I have of it." -- Thomas Jefferson
GLHF WTFPWNT KTHX BYE
So glad you could contribute...
wait for it, its coming 'round the bend any minute now ...
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel
Note to anyone taking notes: if you want to sound as if you're a conservative, it really really helps if at least your persona can distinguish between public and private property. This is, of course, the latter.
Moe
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC.
sticking numbers on mobys imported from Kosickstan or DUmmyland is an idea whose time has come. thank you for so labeling yourself. (you must be a lib because you scream very loudly about freedom of speech)
this post will self-destruct in 3...
we should not fire him. He spoke his mind and first said that it was a bad translation but has now decided that he should not have said what he said. I say forgive and forget. Better than that, I say reward him; appoint him as official State Department spokesman in South Georgia Island, a lifetime appointment.
John
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Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it.
... Jean-François Revel