WP: Rice's NSC Tenure Complicates New Post

[kskiska]

Failure to Manage Agency Infighting Cited

Condoleezza Rice, who will be named as Colin L. Powell's replacement as early as today, has forged an extraordinarily close relationship with President Bush. But, paradoxically, many experts consider her one of the weakest national security advisers in recent history in terms of managing interagency conflicts.

Her appointment as secretary of state would be a first for a black woman, and it would mean an unquestioned Bush loyalist would be dispatched to run a critical department that the White House had come to view with suspicion.

But she will have to work hard to build bridges to State Department career officials, current and former officials said. Powell was considered a hero to the State Department bureaucracy because he won increases in funding and personnel, and many State Department officials are furious that the Bush White House frequently undercut Powell.

"State Department officials dislike her intensely because they love Powell and believe her staff demeaned the State Department," said one former State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he frequently interacts with Rice.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52730-2004Nov15.html

[elepet]

1. thats easy....

purge the state department. Does Bush remind anyone else of Hitler in his need to have unquestioned and unquestioning loyalty from those around him?
New proposal for some time in the future..some good time in the future.
Get rid of concept of "appointees" and have only elected officials and have everyone else go thru some sort of civil service proceedures with tests, interviews, references etc required..professional like.

[maddogesq]

2. Mistress Condi von Rice...Any questions? NT

.

[intheflow]

6. "Mistress Condi" is a visual I didn't need.

Especially since the article notes she goes to Camp David with the president.
She's also referred to him as her husband.
:puke:

[PartyPooper]

14. Junior and Eva Braun?

:eyes:

[intheflow]

19. More like

Jefferson and Hemmings, but without either TJ's or SH's brains. Just the slave/master thing.

I better not have nightmares about this tonight. :eyes:

[OrwellwasRight]

21. He kissed her when he introduced her today.

Not only was that a disgusting visual I didn't need, but it was beyond demeaning to women. Can you imagine anyone else getting kissed when being nominated to the cabinet? Nixon kissing Kissinger? Reagan kissing Shultz? I mean not even Clinton, a supposed master womanizer, kissed ol' Maddy when he appointed her.

Grotesque.

Disturbing.

Infantilizing.

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[fortyfeetunder]

17. Dubya needs to learn from Sen. Gary Hart

The last time someone fooled around with some Rice (this case it was Gary Hart and a woman named Donna Rice), it cost him a spot at the Presidential candidancy....

[LiberteToujours]

3. Bingo

Bush has been quite effective at coercing cooperation from all the other federal agencies. What makes anyone think the State Department will be any different?

[deadparrot]

4. Aw, boo hoo.

Let me haul out the tissues and the tragic violin music.

:nopity:

[leesa]

5. This woman needs to be on trial for treason.

I would love to see her receive the highest penalty under the law for her crimes against our country and humanity.

[UpInArms]

7. The State Department

will become the next block in the ship of fools :puke:



Chevron named oil tanker the
"Condoleezza Rice"

http://aztlan.net/oiltanker.htm

[wuushew]

8. I wonder if Rice will pull a Kissinger

holding the posts of NSC and Secretary of State at the same time?

[sofa king]

20. That was exactly the plan.

Back when I had a better ear on the ground, the plan was just that: kick Powell out and replace her with Rice while she maintains the NS advisor spot.

Actually, it wasn't a matter of kicking Powell out--he supposedly wanted out within months of getting the job.

The same sources also said that Rice is on the short list for Vice President should Dick Cheney exit the position. One person I know was convinced that should the President's chances of reelection dwindle, Cheney was going to be axed "for reasons of health" and Rice would get the spot.

That didn't happen, but it does bring up something kind of interesting. Anyone who takes the VP slot now is going to be a very special person indeed, because that person would have to be:

* a person with unquestionable personal loyalty to the President;

* someone willing to ruthlessly cull others who fail to show that same loyalty (that's one of Cheney's jobs, apparently);

* someone obsessed with secrecy above and beyond the limits of the law; and

* someone already accquainted with the cover-up of and distraction from impeachable and criminal acts of the Bush Administration and willing to continue them.

The President really is facing a talent crisis. Ashcroft has been summoned back to his real boss via pancreatic cancer; Ted Olson has a dead wife he might one day get a conscience about; Scooter Libby is facing jail time for espionage, and Karl Rove may go with him. But the Office of the Vice President is highly important because it's now in charge of issuing loyalty oaths and concealing everything they've fucked up, so an outsider nominee is out of the question.

Condoleeza may wind up wearing three hats.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. Must be time to purge the State Department......

Bitch.

[alcuno]

10. Eagleburger and Hagel gave her a thumbs down.

I heard one of the drones on CNN ask Eagleburger if he thought Rice was a good choice and he said, "No." Silence.

[steely]

11. I'm sure she'll be fine as the self promoting dim-witted.....

overachiever who probably manages through intimidation in order to cover her ass.

or am i being redundant?

[sonicx]

12. "extraordinarily close relationship with President Bush"

oh, come on. stop beating around the bush (so to speak), press. we know what's gonna on...

[rodeodance]

13. (IN)competetance rewarded--way to go America!!

[calimary]

18. Hey, it isn't just us thinking this, either.

I posted this elsewhere but you might find it interesting - went to the local pharmacy to pick up a prescription and the lady who helped me behind the counter soon revealed her deep disgust about this. As she was checking me through, she said "anything else you need?" I answered - "oh, a new president..." And she went off like a firecracker - "A new president! A new secretary of state! A new national security advisor! A new EVERYTHING! This is just AWFUL." I hadn't heard the news and asked her if that meant it was it was Contradicta and she said yes. Then she started getting angry about it and she hissed through her teeth - "they're having an AFFAIR!" Then she started talking about how sad and horrified and upset she felt and how this was all such a nightmare and just the worst ever, and when I said - "yeah, and it's another four years of this" she answered "God help us!" We parted company by expressing solidarity with each other, and agreeing that we'd better pray - and, she said, KEEP praying. She was damn near distraught. Just kept shaking her head in disgust. And this was a civilian, mind you. Not some party operative or political junkie.

I tell ya, I'm seeing these feelings expressed EVERYWHERE. And this was unprompted by me, other than my expressed wish, at the start, to have a new president. She just took it from there and ranted. Quietly, under her breath, since she was at work, but it was still a rant. We have LOTS of company in this. Even up to the point of suspicions that condi is georgie's Monica.

[RevolutionaryActs]

15. Rice has forged an extraordinarily close relationship with President Bush.

Does that mean they're doing it? :scared:

Think he likes it like rough? :spank:

EW I'm sorry I said that! BAD PICTURE! :puke:

[Nag Champa]

16. Her stint as the cover model for MAD magazine is a conflict of interest.

What, me worry?

[Supersedeas]

22. Unquestioned Bush loyalist to Run Critical Dept -- Not the Headline??