It’s past time to ask the question; of what use is Condoleeza Rice? She was appointed NSA in 2001 by George Bush because she was an expert in, wait for it, Soviet history. It was as if the RNC had been preserved in amber until released in 2001, confused, out of sorts, and looking for an enemy that no longer existed.The new administration stumbled around, searching for their new boogeyman.
In the meantime, newly appointed President George W Bush decided that after 8 months of hard work, it was time for a 5 week vacation at his ranch in Crawford, TX. Meanwhile, the NSA director held down the fort, ignoring, and passing over, increasingly frantic memos from intelligence operatives in the field that Al-Qaeda was planning something big. On 9/11, George, Condoleeza, and the rest of us found out what it was. Although to be fair, George and Condoleeza had, in their possession in July, memo’s that pretty much outline exactly what Al Qaeda had in mind. NSA Director Rice didn’t think they were important enough to bother George while he was clearing brush in Crawford.
Since then she has been upgraded to Secretary of State. Exactly what has she done while in this position? She’s defended the ever increasingly ridiculous, and bizzare, mandates and reports coming from the White House. Mostly, however, she seems to be held in some kind of incommunicado status until they need a sound bite, and then they throw the power switch, download the text and out she spits it, with all the emotion of an automaton.
Yes, she’s gone to the Middle East, but instead of this showing that we know what we’re doing, it only serves to highlight the incompetence and absurdity of the Bush administration. When she stopped by during the bombing of Lebanon, I saw her in a room full of Arab men, all dressed in suits, she was in a pantsuit with her sunglasses pushed back up on her head like she had just breezed in from shopping in The Hampton’s. What? Peace in the Middle East isn’t even important enough to take your sunglasses off and stay awhile?
And where in the tiny, dust addled brain of George W Bush did he think that Arab men, Muslim men, are going to even listen to a woman much less work with one? Women are second class citizens over there and sending a woman to negotiate must be seen as either world class ignorance or just simply disrespect.
Dr. Rice needs to resign and accept a position at a University where she can live out her days teaching Soviet history, where at least she won’t be wasting everyone’s time.
