# Is Albrights criticism of the Bush Admin. policy good ex-Secy of State form or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 17, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060 "2003-10-17T18:03:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/1 "2003-10-17T18:03:11Z")
Just wondered. Is it normal for ex Secretaries of State to publicly criticize later administrations they are not part of, or is this considered bad form? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/2 "2003-10-17T18:07:46Z")
Forgot the news story link [Bush’s foreign policy “not good for the world”: Madeleine Albright](http://au.news.yahoo.com/031016/19/m40i.html) > [@](#): > > President George W. Bush’s foreign policy “is not good for America, not good for the world,” Madeleine Albright, the former US secretary of state under Bill Clinton’s presidency, told French radio. > > In an interview with the Europe 1 station Albright heavily criticised the actions of the Republican leadership that replaced the Democratic administration she worked for, and notably the “chaos” that reigns in Iraq. > > “America is much stronger in a multilateral system, we must be on the same side, work with other people in the world. It shouldn’t be America versus the others,” Albright said, speaking in French. > > “It’s difficult to be in France and criticise my government. But I’m doing so because Bush and the people working for him have a foreign policy that is not good for America, not good for the world,” she said. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/3 "2003-10-17T18:57:10Z")
I wouldn’t call it normal, but I wouldn’t consider it bad form. What alligencies or obligations is she breaking? A former secretary of state is still under obligations not to reveal classified info they were once privy to, obviously, but I can’t see a general gag order applying to negative remarks about the current administration. She is still a citizen, and presumably speaking for herself. I’d hate to think former politicians are no longer allowed, by law or tradition, to speak their minds after leaving office. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/4 "2003-10-17T18:59:52Z")
Well, that and she’s currently whoring her autobiography, recently released in France. A little controversy and a mention in the news is probably good for sales. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/5 "2003-10-17T19:24:36Z")
Well the fact that she is correct is sad… but I understand the OP. Its normal in every country to criticize your own… but generally not in front of other countries. Still her “allegiance” is more to her own democratic party than Bush & Co. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/6 "2003-10-17T19:34:04Z")
If she loves the country, I HOPE she’ll speak her mind: it’s the job of every patriot, of every humanitarian, and of every internationalist to praise what is right and criticize what is not right. I can’t imagine any way in which it would help matters for her to refrain from criticizing bad policies. That would only serve to increase the likelihood that the bad policies would stand. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/7 "2003-10-17T19:59:51Z")
If she’s violating some protocol, she certainly isn’t the first x-SOS to do so. > [@](#): > > Former Bush administration Secretary of State James Baker III criticized the Clinton administration as responsible for the deterioration of United States-Russian relations, as well as the growing perception of the U.S. as international bully [Cite from 2000](http://www.pacpubserver.com/new/news/3-7-00/jamesbaker.html) > [@](#): > > (Fmr SOS Alexander) Haig said in an interview that the allies were providing only shaky support because the Bush administration ended the Persian Gulf war in 1991 with Saddam still in power. [Cite from 1999](http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/iraq/iraq447.htm) > [@](#): > > Kissinger criticized the Clinton administration. > > “This administration gets started on a lot of projects but doesn’t bring them to conclusion,” he said. > > Kissinger later told an audience member: “He was my second choice in two elections and he has never disappointed me.” [Cite from 2000](http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38feb3565ced.htm) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/8 "2003-10-17T22:42:19Z")
Perhaps if it is a matter of criticizing a balance of trade policy with Upper Volta, considerations of propriety might be relevant. In questions of collossal stupidity involving war, silence is not tact, but shirking. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/9 "2003-10-18T00:08:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Mariachi Loco \* > \*\*If she’s violating some protocol, she certainly isn’t the first x-SOS to do so. \*\* All of your citations involved former officials speaking on American soil. It’s something of a tradition for former American presidents to avoid critizing the foreign policy of a successor whilst on foreign soil. That said, I’m unaware of the tradition carrying over to other officials. So I’m not seeing the to-do here. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Evil\_Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Mr.Evil\_Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Evil_Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/10 "2003-10-18T00:13:51Z")
Well it’s bad form only in the sense that apparently only conservative Republicans are allowed to criticize, even after the person being criticized (Clinton) has been out of office for over 3 years.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/11 "2003-10-18T02:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Evil Breakfast \* > \*\*Well it’s bad form only in the sense that apparently only conservative Republicans are allowed to criticize, even after the person being criticized (Clinton) has been out of office for over 3 years.:rolleyes: \*\* Well it’s bad form only in the sense that apparently only liberal Democrats are fundamentally bad at math. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-albrights-criticism-of-the-bush-admin-policy-good-ex-secy-of-state-form-or-not/208060/12 "2003-10-18T04:09:24Z")
> [@](#): > > In keeping with the political spirit, Kissinger took a few punches at the Clinton administration. He criticized Clinton’s view of the United States as international peace-keeper. > “We cannot go all over the world slaying dragons,” he said amusingly. Kissinger said the United States must choose its conflicts wisely, and those decisions are left to the president and the secretary of state. [here](http://www.spub.ksu.edu/issues/v100/sp/n142/opn-kissinger-fortmeyer.html) 😛