Bill Clinton's Arrogance...

[nawainwright]

Former President Bill Clinton Unveils Statue in Kosovo - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

PRISTINA, Kosovo — Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved low temperatures and a cold wind in Kosovo's capital Pristina to welcome former President Bill Clinton on Sunday as he attended the unveiling of an 11-foot statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name.
Clinton is celebrated as a hero by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority for launching NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 that stopped the brutal Serb forces' crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.
This is his first visit to Kosovo since it declared independence from Serbia last year.
Many waved American, Albanian and Kosovo flags and chanted "USA!" as the former president climbed on top of a podium with his poster in the background reading "Kosovo honors a hero."
Some peeked out of balconies and leaned on window sills to get a better view of Clinton from their apartment blocks.
To thunderous applause Clinton waved to the crowd as the red cover was pulled off from the statue.
The statue is placed on top of a white-tiled base, in the middle of a tiny square, surrounded by communist-era buildings.

"I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me," Clinton said of the gold-sprayed statue weighing a ton.
He also addressed Kosovo's 120-seat assembly, encouraging them to forgive and move on from the violence of the past.
The statue portrays Clinton with his left arm raised and holding a portfolio bearing his name and the date when NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, on March. 24, 1999.
An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed during the Kosovo crackdown and about 800,000 were forced out of their homes. They returned home after NATO-led peacekeepers moved in following 78 days of bombing.
Leta Krasniqi, an ethnic Albanian, said the statue was the best way to express the ethnic Albanians' gratitude for Clinton's role in making Kosovo a state.
"This is a big day," Krasniqi, 25 said. "I live nearby and I'm really excited that I will be able to see the statue of such a big friend of ours every day."
Clinton last visited Kosovo in 2003 when he received an honorary university degree. His first visit was in 1999 -- months after some 6,000 U.S. troops were deployed in the NATO-led peacekeeping mission here.
Some 1,000 American soldiers are still based in Kosovo as part of NATO's 14,000-strong peacekeeping force.
Police in Kosovo upped security measures ahead of Bill Clinton's arrival by adding deploying more traffic police and special police.
NATO officials said the peacekeepers were also on alert, although no additional security measures were taken.

I realize Clinton didn't "make" the statue...regardless, let the flaming begin

[rambone]

Whats the real story on Kosovo? I wasn't politically awake back in 1999.

[SavageEagle]

Originally Posted by rambone

Whats the real story on Kosovo? I wasn't politically awake back in 1999.

Neither was I. I do know this was almost too late as genocide was being conducted, but beyond that I don't know the whole story...

[Pami]

It's long reading, and I've learned to become fairly skeptical of wikipedia these days.. but this article is pretty well cited.

Kosovo War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[rich8483]

Originally Posted by Pami

It's long reading, and I've learned to become fairly skeptical of wikipedia these days.. but this article is pretty well cited.

Kosovo War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

yes, wikipedia is the free encyclopedia b/c anyone and their brother can write or edit the articles. I could write an article right now if i wanted to and just make stuff up. thats why its a wiki.

[Pami]

Originally Posted by rich8483

yes, wikipedia is the free encyclopedia b/c anyone and their brother can write or edit the articles. I could write an article right now if i wanted to and just make stuff up. thats why its a wiki.

Which is why I've learned to become fairly skeptical of it.

However, as I said, for its length that one is pretty well cited, and it lines up with my vague recollections of what was going on over there. This was right about the time I was losing interest in being a journalist but still had a fair idea of current events.

[Phil502]

Albanians are mostly Muslim. Clinton and his pal General Wesley Clark bombed the hell out of Serbia while they fought the Muslims. Here is a link to the history of the area. Some say Clinton started this just after Lewinsky decided to air her dirty "laundry." Eventually Kosovo broke free of Serbia.

A Short History of Kosovo

[Lee Ermey as Sgt. Hartman]

You probably won't see large statues of bush going up in iraq (or anywhere else), but it is somewhat positive that the US get some recognition at times. Clinton, meh. Would rather have a statue of an airforce general or bomber itself.

In my memory, there were attrocities on both sides of the conflict. It just so happened that the orthodox christian serbians had the upperhand at the time and the UN was not effective in stopping ethnic cleansing. Pretty messed up situation and it could easily happen again.
These animals never acted in the name of their respective religions, they where using ethnicity as a means of stiring hate and one-upsmanship. Like I stated, it will happen somewhere else and again and again.

[husker]

Arrogance? Perhaps.

But hey, if somebody builds a statue of you, what are you gonna do...
I mean you can act all humble and say you don't deserve it, but the statue is going to be there anyway.
So you might as well show up and express your appreciation.

Now it would be a different story if you were awarded some sort of prize...
Maybe some famous international prize which you had done absolutely nothing to deserve.
And of course you could say thanks, but I didn't earn this and can't accept it.
But instead you accept it because somehow you believe you actually deserve it.

Now that would be arrogance.

[Jeremiah]

Originally Posted by husker

Arrogance? Perhaps.

But hey, if somebody builds a statue of you, what are you gonna do...
I mean you can act all humble and say you don't deserve it, but the statue is going to be there anyway.
So you might as well show up and express your appreciation.

Now it would be a different story if you were awarded some sort of prize...
Maybe some famous international prize which you had done absolutely nothing to deserve.
And of course you could say thanks, but I didn't earn this and can't accept it.
But instead you accept it because somehow you believe you actually deserve it.

Now that would be arrogance.

What you did there, I see it.