Rice hears challenges to U.S. Mideast policy

[ProSense]

A continuation of the Hughes listening tour.

Posted on Thu, Feb. 23, 2006
THE MIDDLE EAST

Rice hears challenges to U.S. Mideast policy

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took questions about seeming contradictions in the Bush administration's drive for Middle East democracy.

BY WARREN P. STROBEL
Knight Ridder News Service

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is encountering sharp questions as she tries to sell the Bush administration's policy of promoting democracy in the Middle East.

Arab journalists want Rice to explain how the United States can push elections that brought Hamas, the radical Palestinian group, to power -- and then turn around and try to isolate the group.


Arab leaders, at least those in Saudi Arabia and in Egypt, her first stop on a four-day tour, refused to cut off aid to a future Hamas-led government, contrary to the U.S. hope.
And Arab secular opposition leaders in Egypt

Snip...

CONTRADICTION

''How is it possible to harmonize the U.S. position as a nation supporting freedom of expression and the right of people to practice democracy with your efforts to curb the will of Hamas and put pressures on other countries in this regard?'' an Arab journalist asked Rice at a Wednesday night press conference in Riyadh.

more...

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/13938601.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_world

The administration has no ME policy, they pushed the elections to hold it up as progress---to show that their imaginary policy is working---and it backfired.

[cliss]

1. So what was her response?

What on earth could she say, that won't give the impression that she's a) an idiot or b) a liar.

Why do they keep us in suspense like that?

[teenagebambam]

2. Since she IS an idiot and a liar...

....it shouldn't be too hard for her to give that impression.