“A conservative government is an organized hypocrisy.� This statement was made by the 19th century British statesman, Benjamin Disraeli, and it bears repeating. The conservative leadership—and I use that term loosely—that is presently governing these United States is replete with hypocrisy, particularly in the realm of foreign policy. Though the powers-that-be may rightfully decry the abuses and injustices of certain foreign regimes, they fail to uniformly do so. Who is friend and who is foe appears suspiciously subordinate to political expedience and economic self-interest. Thus, Iranian President Ahmadinejad is a despot, while Equatorial Guinea President Obiang is a “good friend.� Though neither man should be clearing space on his mantel for a Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon, it is only the latter who recently enjoyed a visit to the U.S. and a photo-op with the Secretary of State. Al Kamen of the Washington Post ably provides coverage today:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will do whatever it takes to smack the nuke-happy Iranians around.

Last week, reporters were told there would be no remarks—thus no reason to stake out—a meeting she was having Wednesday with Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Obiang, a somewhat unsavory and corrupt character who seized power in a 1979 coup, runs a regime regularly condemned by the State Department for human rights violations, including torture, beatings, abuse and deaths of prisoners and suspects. He’s gotten as much as 97 percent of the vote in recent elections, he told CBS’s “60 Minutesâ€? a while back, but that was because “there is no one left in the opposition.â€?

Human rights groups and, we hear, folks inside the State Department, were beside themselves that Rice would meet with what one advocate called “one of the most brutal, most corrupt and unreconstructed dictators in the world.� (We would opt for the lunatic Kim Jong Il, but let’s not quibble.)

Well, at least the meeting wouldn’t attract all that much press attention, given that there was only to be a photo-op.

But then Iran announced it had begun enriching uranium and Rice needed a forum—though perhaps not one specifically arranged to make the United States appear to be scrambling—to respond.

So reporters were alerted to stand by at the Obiang meeting. Rice appeared with our pal Obiang, even called him “a good friend,� then said she would take “one question� from reporters. Of course that question would be about Iran, giving Rice the opening to take a whack at Tehran.

And Obiang certainly went home happy.

The American people should not be happy, though. We should be enraged at the hypocrisy of Secretary Rice, whose poor taste in friends is apparently only exceeded by her moral vacuity. It is unacceptable. For further commentary, I refer you to a post in the blog Liberal Oasis on “Condi’s Good Friend.�