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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Two Kinds of Rice

Over the last decade, America has seen two women named Rice at the head of the National Security apparatus at the White House.  The first Rice, Condoleezza Rice, was a strong force in the Bush White House and at the State Department.  Many around the country disagreed strongly with her views, but there was never any question as to her intellect, her ability to see things in a rational manner, or her integrity.  The second Rice, Susan Rice, is the current National Security Advisor and was president Obama's ambassador to the UN prior to that.  It is Susan Rice who went before the American people on the Sunday after the Benghazi terrorist attack and lied on five separate news shows about the cause of that attack.  It is Susan Rice who came forward and called Bowe Bergdahl an American hero on multiple TV shows even though she knew that Bergdahl had deserted and possible defected to the Taliban in Afghanistan.  In other words, it is Susan Rice who has presented many questions both as to her intelligence and her integrity (or, more precisely, her lack of intergrity.)

Today, Susan Rice did more damage to America's foreign policy for domestic political purposes.  She said on television that the speech by Israeli prime minister Netanyahu next week to Congress will be "destructive of the fabric of the relationship" between the USA and Israel.  This is a woman who is supposed to understand diplomacy.  Does she actually think that by issuing such strong criticism of the head of the government of our main ally in the Middle East, she is being diplomatic or improving the relationship we have with Israel?  Imagine, Netanyahu goes before Congress at the invitation of that body and speaks about the perils of an Iranian nuclear weapon.  Somehow that damages the relationship with the USA even though both Obama and secretary Kerry keep professing that the goal of American policy is to make sure that Iran does not have such a weapon.  This is "destructive"?  When Susan Rice accuses the prime minister on national TV of inflicting damage upon the relationship, does Rice think that she is improving that relationship?  Is she really that dumb?  Indeed, if she thinks she is helping then no further proof is needed that the woman is a moron.

The truth is that the second Rice (Susan) looks at America's security and foreign policy as secondary to achieving the political goal of supporting Obama.  The problem is that the damage she causes with her politically spinning (okay political lies) is major while the political gain for Obama, if any, is fleeting.  I realize that as part of the Obama administration, Rice is surrounded by a miasma of mendacity; nevertheless, she still ought to know better.  Just because she hangs out each day with people who never seem able to even recognize the truth, let alone state it, is no excuse for Rice to join their club.

Wouldn't it be nice to have Condoleezza back?  She is a woman who some thought ought to run for president.  When Susan Rice leaves (and let's hope that is soon), the only job she will be qualified for is to star in a movie called "The Dallas Liars' Club".





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