Condescending Condoleeza Rice
Condoleeza Rice is an intelligent, talented and well-educated woman. She happened to be in the right academic setting, Stanford University, with the right mentors at the right time developing academic expertise in matters involving the Soviet Union. A long time popular faculty member, Professor Rice was used to being treated as an especially able favorite, and was eventually given the position of Stanford University Provost, a job involving co-ordination of academic programs.
Through her mentors, she came to the attention of the first President Bush administration and they quickly adopted her into the loyal fold, embracing her Soviet expertise, at a time when the Soviet Union was collapsing and becoming less important. But the Bush-Rice bonding endured.
As National Security Advisor, Rice showed what George W. Bush values most, loyalty to him. She demonstrated no particular ability to do the job, however, a fact that became very apparent by her dealings with the 911 Commission. Rice was overwhelmingly interested in not doing anything perceived as non-supportive of President Bush, and much less interested in addressing the issues of the security of the American people. Her attitude to the Committee members was professorially condescending, as has been her attitude toward those on whose talk shows she has appeared when the White House has felt the need to use her to ward off criticism - "after all she is a black woman and one would expect unfair attacks on her because of that".
As George W. Assumed the Presidency, Rice loyally signed on full time, with definite aspirations of her own to rise even further to Secretary of State, when the Powell good will had been used up by Bush. And now that is what is happening. The article in The Nation, linked below, documents how Rice has significantly politicized the NSA office to an unprecedented extent. Rice does not have the personal style of a diplomat, nor does she have executive or administrative experience necessary to do this new job. Career diplomats who were retained at the insistence of Powell will now be forced to leave, to be replaced by more Bush sycophants. Particularly following Powell, Rice will not be well received by the world diplomatic corps.
Here is the article from The Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=2012
Through her mentors, she came to the attention of the first President Bush administration and they quickly adopted her into the loyal fold, embracing her Soviet expertise, at a time when the Soviet Union was collapsing and becoming less important. But the Bush-Rice bonding endured.
As National Security Advisor, Rice showed what George W. Bush values most, loyalty to him. She demonstrated no particular ability to do the job, however, a fact that became very apparent by her dealings with the 911 Commission. Rice was overwhelmingly interested in not doing anything perceived as non-supportive of President Bush, and much less interested in addressing the issues of the security of the American people. Her attitude to the Committee members was professorially condescending, as has been her attitude toward those on whose talk shows she has appeared when the White House has felt the need to use her to ward off criticism - "after all she is a black woman and one would expect unfair attacks on her because of that".
As George W. Assumed the Presidency, Rice loyally signed on full time, with definite aspirations of her own to rise even further to Secretary of State, when the Powell good will had been used up by Bush. And now that is what is happening. The article in The Nation, linked below, documents how Rice has significantly politicized the NSA office to an unprecedented extent. Rice does not have the personal style of a diplomat, nor does she have executive or administrative experience necessary to do this new job. Career diplomats who were retained at the insistence of Powell will now be forced to leave, to be replaced by more Bush sycophants. Particularly following Powell, Rice will not be well received by the world diplomatic corps.
Here is the article from The Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/thebeat/index.mhtml?bid=1&pid=2012
posted by Tom Blake | 10:15 AM
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