Still Smarmy After All These Years

Update: Scroll down; the Daily Times report may be inaccurate in one regard.

We have no right to be critical of other faiths. We have no right to say things that might play on their emotions. And if we do such a thing, we should be convicted and tossed in the nearest pokey.

Not surprising words coming from Imam al-Waqed'out, but these words came from our former commander in chief, Bill ("I'll say anything to be popular in the moment") Clinton.

Here's the excerpt from Pakistan's Daily Times:

Former US president Bill Clinton on Friday condemned the publication of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH)* caricatures by European newspapers and urged countries concerned to convict the publishers.

Talking to reporters after meeting Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Islamabad, Clinton said he disagreed with the caricatures and that the publication was against religious and ethical norms. Clinton said he had no objection to peaceful demonstrations being held worldwide, but this was not the time for violence. He said it was the time to promote inter-faith harmony and stand together on the issue.

He said the people’s religious convictions should be respected at all costs and the media should be disallowed to play with the religious sentiments of other faiths. He said the media could criticise any issue including governments and people, but nobody had the right to play with the sentiments of other faiths.

* How does Mohammed feel about "Peace Be Unto Him" being shortened to (PBUH)? Dunno. He's much more temperamental than our God.

I have not been a swearing man since I became a Christian, but I had to keep certain short and explosive words repressed when reading this.

Anyone who has been president of the United States should always be a champion of free political speech. Did he really say that if someone ... say Osama bin Laden ... explained away the death of 3000+ Americans by saying it was part of a religious war his faith demanded of him, we have no right to play with the sentiments of his faith?

Did he really say that if cynical, internationalist mullahs deliberately spread death and ruin by hyping the Danish cartoons in Kartoonistan city after Kartoonistan city, we'd better be careful not to play with the sentiments of their faith?

Did he really say that political cartoonists should be jailed if their political speech offends someone? (see below)

Clinton was, as you recall, very big on protecting the free speech of pornographers who contributed to his campaign. He appears incapable of extending that right to political cartoonists, if their free speech conflicts with his feel-good while touring Islamic countries.

What a wuss. And he's the best they've got?

Update: Mark in Mexico has checked out other news accounts, and there appears to be no corroboration that Clinton said the editors should be prosecuted. The rest of his bizarre comments were confirmed by multiple sources.

Related Tags: Kartoonistan, Cartoons, Mohammed, Muhammed, Islam, Clinton