Conan O'Brien had quite an eclectic line-up on his show Thursday night.
Elvis Costello was the first guest, not counting Sarah Silverman's appearance for the "Year 2000" segment. Costello was hawking his new talk show, Spectacle: Elvis Costello with..., on the Sundance Channel.
Of course, he and O'Brien talked about the election. Costello noted that he and his wife, Diana Krall, have two-year-old twin sons. Costello said that with Barack Obama in office, he won't have to apologize when his sons, American citizens, learn about the president of the United States.
More Bush Derangement Syndrome on display.
Barack Obama was elected. Obviously, Costello is glad. Fine. Why take a swipe at Bush?
It certainly seems that this new Obama era of change and unity is crap. There's a lot of ugliness out there. Come together? I don't believe that the libs have any interest in doing that at all.
O'Brien's second guest was Madeleine Albright. Usually, guests leave after their segments conclude, but Costello remained, moving to the couch.
It was a rather brief segment. She had time to hawk her book, Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership. Now available in paperback, it's an updated edition.
Albright said she gave a copy to Barack Obama and she inscribed it: "With the audacity to hope you find this book useful."
Do you think Obama will read it?
Albright also had time to bash the Bush administration and its policies.
O'Brien brought up Kim Jong-Il. The question couldn't have been less spontaneous. It seems whenever Albright is interviewed she talks about North Korea. It reminds me of Jimmy Carter constantly yapping about the Camp David Accords.
O'BRIEN: I have to ask you about this. I believe you're the last or one of the last high-ranking U.S. officials to meet directly with Kim Jong-Il, back in '99 or 2000. What's he like?
ALBRIGHT: Well, I am the last and the highest level American official to meet with him, and we didn't have a lot of information about him. And so... and also, we didn't have an embassy there, so I had no idea what was going to happen. And wasn't sure that he was actually going to see me because he'd invited President Clinton, and President Clinton said, 'I have to send my Secretary of State first.'
What? Clinton didn't run to personally meet with Kim Jong-Il?
Albright talked about having to see Kim Jong-Il's embalmed father. She said, "He's in a glass box."
What entertaining, sparkling conversation!
ALBRIGHT:As soon as I had done that, I got a phone call and they said that he would see me. So...and we spent a lot of time together. He is actually... some people think he's crazy. He's not crazy. He's actually very smart. He's a terrible dictator. And while he's having fancy dinners, people are starving. But it certainly was interesting, and I'm really sorry that those talks were not continued.
O'BRIEN: Well, your belief and the Clinton administration's belief was that you need to speak to the government of North Korea. You have to talk to these people. The Bush administration felt, 'No, we can't. We can't speak with them.'
ALBRIGHT: Well, the bottom line is you can't learn anything about another country or deal with your enemies if you don't speak to them. And so we believed that you really should spend time, find out, deliver... You know speaking isn't always nice, I think you know that, and sometimes you say some pretty tough things, but you have to do that. And I think that's the right way, because what happened, because those talks weren't picked up until several years later, when we left office, we knew North Korea was dangerous. We were afraid that it had one...the capability of one to two nuclear weapons. They have, because the talks were cut off, they have exploded a nuclear weapon, and we now think they might be able to make something like eight. So the time lost, I think, is very serious.
O'BRIEN: Well, maybe we'll be in a new direction now.
ALBRIGHT: That would be good.
Albright has been doing CYA, especially on North Korea, since Bush took office. She has been such an outspoken critic, undercutting a sitting president.
I doubt that Condoleezza Rice will write books slamming Barack Obama, and then go on talk shows spewing her criticism.
Read this enlightening August 1, 1994, editorial from National Review for some historical perspective on North Korea and nuclear proliferation.
Albright is in no position to be casting stones at the Bush administration for unsuccessful diplomacy when it comes to North Korea.
It is intellectually dishonest to ignore the Clinton administration's pivotal role in the nuclear North Korea. It cannot be dismissed.
Clinton gave North Korea nuclear technology. He talked and trusted and made disastrous decisions. Yes, Clinton did that. CLINTON.
If only Clinton had employed a different approach, maybe we'd be better off today. Clinton was duped and so was his stooge Madeleine Albright.
Instead of criticizing Bush, Albright should be apologizing to Americans and the global community for her failures. She should be begging for forgiveness.
A nuclear North Korea is part of the "proud" Clinton/Albright legacy, yet Albright persists with the lame spin she's been selling for years.
O'Brien bought it. He was willing to enable and promote Albright's version of events.
He didn't say that it would have been better if Albright and Clinton hadn't screwed up in the first place.
After the talk came a very odd moment.
Costello and Albright did a duet. I thought it was strange that Costello hung around after his interview, but I wasn't expecting him to sing with Albright. Costello sat on the couch and played guitar. Albright leaned in toward Costello and they sang Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In."
I don't know why, but they did. This wasn't a spontaneous thing. It was rehearsed. The guitar was waiting behind the couch. Bizarre.
Costello introduced the goofy number with a prepared dedication. Clearly, it was prepared. He began the dedication. O'Brien briefly interrupted with a comment and Costello then repeated the same words.
COSTELLO: We want to send this out to any older gentlemen who happen to find they have a little time on their hands right around now, you know?
Gee, which "older gentlemen" could he be talking about?
(Screen grab/ NBC)
Although it was a rehearsed number, Albright was using cue cards or a teleprompter to help her with the lyrics.
Albright was obviously delighted with her performance.
After the song, Albright pulled Costello toward her to give him a kiss.
Albright kisses Costello.
Costello, post-kiss.
If you can imagine, Albright is worse at singing than she was at being Secretary of State.
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