By STEVEN LEE MYERS
Published: November 30, 2011
NAY PYI DAW, Myanmar — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here on Wednesday to measure the depth of the political and economic opening the country’s new government has unexpectedly begun....
...Administration officials said Mrs. Clinton first wanted to see whether Mr. Thein Sein’s government was prepared to take his own steps. Officials remain wary, disappointed that the government has not freed more of the 1,600 political prisoners still being held and that Mr. Thein Sein recently denied the existence of any of them. The senior administration official also noted that the administration’s initial efforts to engage Myanmar’s leaders in 2009 were “abysmal failures.”
Another issue of particular concern for the United States is Myanmar’s cooperation with North Korea, and American officials have pressed the government to agree to more vigorous inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency....
...The decision to send Mrs. Clinton was debated among the White House, the State Department and members of Congress, many of whom remained critical. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the Republican chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Mrs. Clinton’s trip sent “the wrong signal.”...
The mistake the Republicans chronically make is their over abundant concern with IMAGE over substance. The "W"rong signal would be to isolate Myanmar until EVERY demand of the USA is met. That is hideous. We live in the world with Myanmar and the more the current leadership is recognized for improving the civil rights of its citizens the better. The real travesty to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen statement is the fact militarized dictatorships are necessary and not a luxury when involved with countries unable to pay successfully secure munitions of any kind otherwise.
Republicans believe they can wave a magic wand and have the changes happen as if there is infrastructure to allow it to happen, but, the leadership is simply belligerent. That is not the case. It is nearly never the case and Myanmar is an excellent example of a country finding the will 'to trust' civil rights while still maintaining the security of its military.
Simpletons. Republicans are breakfast table simpletons.
