Thread: Larger then life

Kosovo honors Bill Clinton with statue



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 (3.5-meter) 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 (900 kilograms).



He also addressed Kosovo's 120-seat assembly, encouraging them to forgive and move on from the violence of the past.







"I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me," Clinton said.





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."



14,000-strong peacekeeping force

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 wonder if Iraq will raise a statue for Bush.

Now would be a really good time to revist the Republican's mindset at the time of US intervention in Kosovo:



"You can support the troops but not the president." --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)



"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years." --Joe Scarborough (R-FL)



"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?" --Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99



"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy." --Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)



"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy." --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)



"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy." --Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush



"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area." --Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)



"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today" --Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)





"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." --Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)



*****



Republicans: Wrong on Kosovo, Really, really wrong on Iraq.

I know where I'm vacationing in Europe.

[quote name='TennesseeRain' date='01 November 2009 - 12:39 PM' timestamp='1257107950' post='49834']

Now would be a really good time to revist the Republican's mindset at the time of US intervention in Kosovo:[/quote]



That was a beautiful blast from the past... thanks.

[quote name='Defensor' date='01 November 2009 - 03:57 PM' timestamp='1257109053' post='49848']

So the war criminal has statues built to honor him. Par for the course in this bizarro world we live in.

[/quote]



War criminal? Or liberator? Some on your side, you included, can't seem to tell the difference.

[quote name='Defensor' date='01 November 2009 - 02:57 PM' timestamp='1257109053' post='49848']

So the war criminal has statues built to honor him. Par for the course in this bizarro world we live in.

[/quote]



Think that they'll ever erect a statue to Ron Paul?



Maybe something like this...

[quote name='bla bla' date='01 November 2009 - 04:31 PM' timestamp='1257114675' post='49904']

Maybe they could build another in Mogadishu and drag it through the streets.

[/quote]



Referring to the death and desecration of a US Army soldier as a form of humor lends a new low to your standards bla.