My Conversation with Richard Armitage and Joseph Nye

I had a conversation yesterday with former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Professor Joseph Nye of Harvard. They are the co-chairs a new report on U.S. foreign policy.

It examines how we can revitalize American influence and leadership with Smart Power - a mix hard power, or force, and soft power, or attraction to our society and way of life.

We talked first about the growing crisis in Pakistan.

Here is some of what we said:

But then we talked about their bipartisan report, for the Center for Strategic International Studies in Washington. They talked about how the international community is not just talking about Washington's leadership, about how it executes its vision. The issue raised is its competency.

Here is some of our discussion:

You can see the entire conversation on the Charlie Rose website.

Comments

[researcher]

From CAPITALISM to unchecked capitalism to a Wall Street greed is good to soulless corporations to war for profits to savage capitalism to imperialism to laws that limit human rights to the devaluation of the dollar to the establishment of an independent mercenary army to the collapse of the economy to a dictator to FASCISM.

And Americans thought capitalism was the best economic system in the world. Think again Americans. Still think the demos can bail you out? The die has been cast even the demos promote capitalism in their speeches and on such places as Air America.

No turning back, fascism must come. Economic structure and systems do influence human behaviour. What we sow we reap it is now harvest time in America.

[akhinaten]

Question: are you a Muslim?

Obama Answered: I am Gay, I am Mormon, I man Hispanic, I am White, I am Muslim, I am a Jew, because I too belong to a people that suffered from being stigmatized, if you think being Muslim or Jew or Mormon or Woman or Latino is a substitute for character and you use them to pass judgement on people based on that, then I am Muslim, because that is the position that my conscience forces me to take. We have to refuse to be kraaled and herded by fear, which is speared by those who cannot lead us any other way.

[CatfishAndGrits]

Armitage......credible.....

And how do you have him on, but not Valerie Plame.

What part of "A CIA operative was outed by her own government" doesn't the MSM get. These people should not be giving a forum to rehabilitate themselves. Let them do their repentence elsewhere. Perhap Armitage could be a babysitter for Valerie for his redemption.

[SamEllison]

Charlie did Richard Armitage tell you he is a paid agent for the government of Pakistan?
I started watching the show earlier but can't bring myself to watch the gossiper without yelling and screaming at the TV. You know, do an Elvis, the dogs get all upset too. So you were SOL. I did read about the report in the FT and I wondered why it's findings took so freaking long to come out. I mean if you were against the war before you were against the war you are invisible.

[drblack]

This was a good interview Charlie.
I was disturbed to Hear Armitage say that America has for the first time in history a reputation for incompetence.
This is what you get with people like neoCONS and and those who put superstition and ideology above reality.
I wish that you would have more progressives on your show . People like Tom Freidmen have been discredited too many times to be a credible judge of public policy.

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

Mr. Rose, I consider you to be in the top 10 journalists in America, although I think you often refuse to ask hard enough questions, I would really like to see if you could get Ron Paul to your show....I have heard him on PBS and in Rallies, but there is a way to interview Ron That I think you may possess.
I take Ron Pauls own advice and refuse to trust government to do anything for me.
I refuse to let them try to secure my future.
I refuse to trust them with my money.
I refuse to trust them to carry my and other good Americans' message of true freedom and civil rights, around the world. I prefer to lead by example and not words.
America has changed course in a drastic way, Mr. Rose, I am sure you can see this..
The first order of business would be to roll back presidential powers and get us out of Iraq.
I would ask the question to Dr. Paul, if given the chance, what would be the first 10 things you would do as a president and have him go on from there.
That would be an hour of the most exciting Presidential vision in the last 15 cycles for President..
Your next show, you should have Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich debate.
There must be one journalist that sees the people are for either of these two candidates.
Who is going to speak for the people?
Will you, Mr. Rose?

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

It really pisses me off that they dont even mention the fact that all involved is simply unconstitutional.
We must not meddle in any of these countries.
We must come home.
We are spread too thin and our purse will not withstand this global grip we are trying top place on the world.
Not one American should die for Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Poland, or yes even Israel.
We must cut all foreign aid and close all military bases.
This has gone way too far and we are flirting with disaster.
People hate us. We are not immune from anger and attacks.
We have committed horrible war crimes and we insist on electing the same people in office.
In Spain after the Madrid bombings, the right wing government started to impose strict post-bombing rules...
The country had just come out of dictatorship in 1975 so they realized what was taking place.
They voted that government out the next year, and have gone on to become THE MOST PROGRESSIVE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
Better than Canada and better than Amsterdam....Even S. Africa does not beat Spain in the civil rights category.
Vote these asses out, and stand by your poll house to make sure the vote count is not stolen or forged.
We must stop this abuse.
We have old, poor and handicapped we must protect.
WAKE UP!