Rambling Kadafi Rant Gives U.N. An Earful

2009-09-23

Moammar Kadafi Wednesday suggested the United States take a cue from his governing style and make Barack Obama president for life, delivering surprisingly lavish praise for the American during the Libyan leader's first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

Kadafi, clad in a long, coffee-colored robe, gave a long, rambling address that was mainly critical and touched on everything from jet-lag - something he blamed on having to travel to New York - to the invasion of Iraq, which he called "the mother of all evils." He blasted the U.N. Security Council as an elitist organization that favors superpowers over small nations and said no country should have veto power over resolutions.

But Kadafi's comments took a sharp turn about midway through his address. Prefacing his words by saying they were a bit "sensitive," he confessed to being thrilled that Americans had elected a black man as their leader.

"We Africans are happy, proud that a son of Africa governs the United States of America," said Kadafi, whose relations with the United States have generally been sour. Even his visit to New York for this event has been fraught with controversy as his plans to stay in a lavish tent erected in a New Jersey suburb were quashed after local protests.

He then planned to stay in a tent on a property owned by Donald Trump north of Manhattan, in the town of Bedford, but the Associated Press reported Wednesday that town officials were threatening criminal action if the tent stayed there.

Kadafi alluded to the difficulties of moving around a city under air-tight security measures but said Obama, at least, offered hope for the next eight years. After that, he said, "I'm afraid we may go back to square one. We are content and happy if Obama can stay forever as the president of the United States."

It was not immediately clear what Obama's reaction was. He had left the huge hall after delivering his own speech, as had Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Kadafi joined others in applauding after Obama's speech, which he said showed that the United States had taken a turn for the better. In fact, he appreciates it so much that he urged the rest of the world to give America a break and move the United Nations elsewhere, such as Beijing or New Delhi.

"I don't think there will be any objection to that," he said, noting the expense of security.

"This place is a target," said Kadafi. "Perhaps America will be targeted by a rocket. We want to relieve America of this worry."

But he also complained about the limits placed on visitors such as himself in their movements - something he compared to being imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay - not to mention the headache of flying across continents and oceans to reach New York.

"All of you are tired, jet-lagged," he said, pointing to the audience and noting that he had been up since 4 a.m., unable to sleep because of the time zone switch, suggesting that every 50 years the U.N. location be switched to a new hemisphere.

"This is not an insult to America," he insisted. "This is a service to America."

Source: Free Internet Press.
Link: http://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=22988.