Condi Rice seems to becoming more irrelevant by the day. Her mis-steps increase as each new thing is thrown up at her. Whatever perceived knowlege she might have had before she assumed any sort of role at the White House or in the Bush Administration has done little to show that she is remotely up to the task of Secreatary of State.
An incisive and devastating analysis of Condi is made by Scott Horton, writing in Harper's Magazine:
"Over the past month it has become increasingly clear that Condoleezza Rice does not, ultimately, call the shots on foreign policy and national security questions. The man in charge is named Dick Cheney. This has emerged from a long series of tussles, of which the response to the British-Iranian fracas from the beginning of the month and the question of closing the concentration camp at Guantánamo are the most obvious examples. Condi’s PR offensive has also begun to lag as voices in the press who were quick to credit her with a new diplomatic offensive have had second thoughts. While diplomacy may be defined as the “art of lying in one’s country’s interests,” a skillful diplomat still knows how to do it without being easily caught. Condi put her reputation on the line with a series of high-profile appearances in Europe denying the existence of European blacksites, even while concluding and signing deals concerning the blacksites on the very same trip. “It was rather breathtaking,” one diplomat told me."
And...
"Tenet’s book convincingly portrays Rice as an ineffectual and indecisive national security advisor—as a figure who recognizes that the center of power rests with Dick Cheney and who is unwilling to challenge him even over his most catastrophic delusions. The last three months reveal that Condi’s move to Foggy Bottom has not change those core facts. She continues to be little more than a distracting ornament when it comes to critical foreign policy issues."
An incisive and devastating analysis of Condi is made by Scott Horton, writing in Harper's Magazine:
"Over the past month it has become increasingly clear that Condoleezza Rice does not, ultimately, call the shots on foreign policy and national security questions. The man in charge is named Dick Cheney. This has emerged from a long series of tussles, of which the response to the British-Iranian fracas from the beginning of the month and the question of closing the concentration camp at Guantánamo are the most obvious examples. Condi’s PR offensive has also begun to lag as voices in the press who were quick to credit her with a new diplomatic offensive have had second thoughts. While diplomacy may be defined as the “art of lying in one’s country’s interests,” a skillful diplomat still knows how to do it without being easily caught. Condi put her reputation on the line with a series of high-profile appearances in Europe denying the existence of European blacksites, even while concluding and signing deals concerning the blacksites on the very same trip. “It was rather breathtaking,” one diplomat told me."
And...
"Tenet’s book convincingly portrays Rice as an ineffectual and indecisive national security advisor—as a figure who recognizes that the center of power rests with Dick Cheney and who is unwilling to challenge him even over his most catastrophic delusions. The last three months reveal that Condi’s move to Foggy Bottom has not change those core facts. She continues to be little more than a distracting ornament when it comes to critical foreign policy issues."
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