Powell makes a gaffe on Chile

Via Unlearned Hand

Powell indicates that the US role in the Allende Coup was ‘not a part of American history that we’re proud of‘. This is a gaffe by Michael Kinsley’s standards because it is an example of a politician telling the truth.

The State Department ‘put distance’ between the Secretary and the Department.

In a wonderful bit of doublespeak, former Kissinger underling Williams Rodgers claims:

Rogers said the Chilean military acted not because the United States urged it to do so, "but because they believed that had the Allende regime continued much longer, Chilean liberties would be irretrievably lost."

You see, the Chilean military had to destroy civil liberties in Chile to save them.

Even better:
He called the department legal office to point out that there was a pending law suit against the government and Powell’s comment was not helpful.

So the truth is less important than $11 million? For all of the moral clarity running around these days, perhaps this administration would like to take responsibility for past immoral actions and buck up some compensation. Hey, we could even compensate Nicaragua for the terrorist act of mining their harbor! Let’s go crazy!

Rogers claims the US didn’t instigate the coup. The problem is no one seriously believes that. Even if you accepted Kissinger’s view that this was better because the road to Communism was inevitable under Allende would lead to a Soviet puppet, everyone understands what happened.