Senator Cardin’s concerns spark controversy
July 17th, 2012A Magyar Nemzet commentator dismisses as absurd the charges levelled by Senator Ben Cardin (Dem) against the Hungarian government. Népszabadság cautions the right wing against branding the senator an enemy of Hungary.
Addressing the Senate on July 12, Senator Cardin accused the Hungarian government of systematically weakening the independence of the judiciary and of rehabilitating war-time idols. This was not the first time he expressed misgivings about Hungary: a year ago he also said he was “deeply troubled” by what was going on in this country. His latest statement came on the heels of an exchange of letters between 50 US Congressmen and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the same subject (See BudaPost, July 6).
In a front page editorial in its weekend edition, Népszabadság remarks that Senator Cardin’s speech was just another episode in a long series of critical messages coming from Washington, and therefore the Hungarian right wing should therefore refrain from branding him “an enemy of the fatherland”.
In the Monday issue of Magyar Nemzet, György Pilhál quotes Senator Cardin’s “most striking” sentence as proof of the absurdity of the charges he levels against the Hungarian government. In that sentence the senator accuses the government of promoting or at least tolerating “the exaltation of the blood and nation reek” of the war time era. The columnist suggests that (instead of criticising Hungary) Mr Cardin should devote his time to short visits to Afghanistan or Guantánamo, “where apparently there is a lot to see”.