After weeks of the U.S. Department of State caught lying about why and how the "protest" in Benghazi came about, an attack that killed our U.S. Ambassador to Libya as well as several other Americans, Hillary Clinton has published an Op Ed in The New York Times critical of Ukraine for its own political atmosphere.
Ukraine's elections are coming up on October 28 and as that date nears Clinton expressed concern in her Op Ed over corruption in Ukraine's electoral system. This is an example of can't win for trying as Clinton accused Ukraine of not correcting past problems.
"Many of its neighbors in Central and Eastern Europe have shown the world what can be accomplished in terms of democratization and economic prosperity," Clinton wrote. "Ukraine has the capacity to do the same. Important steps now have to be taken by the Ukrainian government to fulfill its full potential."
But, the fact is Ukraine has made quite a few changes to its electoral system all made at the behest of western critics. Further, those changes were made by a coalition of many of Ukraine's political parties as opposed to its controlling authorities. Sadly, Clinton doesn't seem to acknowledge that at all. She writes as if no changes were made.
Further, while Clinton is going on about "strengthening democratic institutions" and despite her seeming disdain for Ukraine's reforms, outside observers have reported no major election violations, making Clinton's overwrought complaints seem uninformed.
Clinton saved her firmest condemnation for the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
We regret that the convictions of opposition leaders during trials that did not meet international standards are preventing them from standing in parliamentary elections. The Ukrainian government needs to address these selective prosecutions, including the case of former Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko and other former senior officials.
Clinton seems wholly unaware of the true situation in Ukraine. In fact, Tymoshenko's own Orange Revolution partner testified against her at her trial.
Clinton is right that "deeply in our common interest to see an independent, prosperous and irreversibly democratic Ukraine that is associated with the European Union." But for her to act as if no moves have been made toward this goal is both blind and destructive of the very relationship she pines for between the U.S. and the west and Ukraine.
Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as Breitbart.com, among many, many others. He has also written for several history magazines, has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows.
