Britain details cost of birthday party for Rice

[sabra]

Source: AFP

LONDON (AFP) — Britain spent more than 9,500 dollars on a 50th birthday party for US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2004, the Foreign Office said Tuesday.

The party, hosted by the British ambassador to the United States David Manning at his official residence in Washington, saw Rice presented with a dress as a gift.

US President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were among guests at the surprise party.

In a written reply to a Labour Party question in the House of Commons, Foreign Office junior minister Kim Howells, said: "There were 111 guests and the cost was 9,512.05 dollars (4,682.73 pounds)".

The reply came after an article in the September 6 issue of the centre-left political weekly New Statesman magazine criticised the party as a "ludicrously lavish extravaganza".

Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gZmyN5CE3ZjHiV8Z6rO59SC_Brmw

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hisownpetard]

2. Was it, by any chance, a BLUE dress?

[hisownpetard]

3. Come to think of it, isn't that a strangely personal kind of gift to give a Sec'y of State?

I mean, wasn't giving her a $10,000 party enough? And why a dress? I can't imagine anyone ever
giving, say, Madleine Albright or Eleanor Roosevelt or Lady Bird Johnson a dress!

The more I think about it, the weirder it seems.

[quiet.american]

4. Agreed -- I think the usual gift is a designer vase or paperweight.... n/t

A dress is a really unusual gift.

[hisownpetard]

9. Or a book, or CDs, or... whatever, but not a dress (where, presumably, you'd have to know

the person's taste in colors and styles, the size she wears, the length she prefers, etc.

And I keep wondering: since they threw her such a lavish party, why would they still feel it appropriate and/or necessary
to get her an additional gift?

I think there's something weird about this, for sure.

[iverglas]

5. for pity's sake

Less than $10,000 to entertain over 100 people, including the head of state of the host country and a member of his cabinet, is pretty damned cheap.

Entertaining and being entertained by members of the executive branch of the host country and other VIPs, and by one another, and exchanging gifts, is pretty much what ambassadors do.

In all likelihood the dress was a creation of a British design house, and the gift was an opportunity for the ambassador to showcase one of his country's industries.

It seems a little oddly personal, but fashion is an industry, and prominent women often use their positions in the public eye to promote their own country's fashion industry. If women, including women who are members of cabinets, weren't expected to be fashionable, then it wouldn't be an industry, and prominent women wouldn't need to promote it ...

Condoleezza Rice is not a prostitute, she is a woman who is a member of the US cabinet.

[endarkenment]

6. "Condoleezza Rice is not a prostitute, she is a woman who is a member of the US cabinet."

I agree. That was an insult to honest hard working prostitutes all over the world. Rice is a war criminal and has nothing in common with sex workers.

[BooScout]

7. OMG.........

Another sane person is with me here. :wow:

I am certainly no fan of Rice but this is a non story and the responses are just well........just petty.

[iverglas]

11. hee

Non-story ... but then I do keep a National Enquirer in the bathroom ... ;)


This seems to be a bit of a tradition:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0907-24.htm

Published on Thursday, September 7, 2006 by the Guardian / UK

About two weeks after the 2004 presidential election, on November 13, the British embassy held a surprise 50th birthday party for Condoleezza Rice. On her arrival, Ambassador David Manning presented her with a red Oscar de la Renta gown. When Rice changed into the dress and emerged like Cinderella, she was met by her Prince Charming, dressed in a tuxedo, the man she once called "my husband", President Bush.

Oscar ain't no British fashion house. The ambassador should be recalled for a stern lecture.

[dipsydoodle]

12. Notwithstanding anything else

for the amount quoted, in London, I guess they either had KFC, Macdonalds or Pizza along with some supermarket wine. If a zero got dropped of by accident that's another matter.

[Ilsa]

8. $100 a head is very cheap. I wonder if the dress was more of a

collector's item, versus a dress she would wear. They know she has a thing for fashion, especially shoes. I am surprised they didn't give her collectible shoes.

[yardwork]

10. I agree. Non-story. This is like complaining about Pelosi's use of planes.

We have far bigger things to complain about! Rice is a war criminal. Who cares about her stupid birthday party.

[LeftishBrit]

13. Let's just say that's NOT what I want my money spent on!

Ah, our lovely Socialist government...