Free Republic

Condi Rice gives the “most pro-Palestinian Arab, anti-Israel speech in memory.” If the State Department has a religion, it’s Palestinian statehood. On its altar, diplomats are eager to sacrifice the security of America’s only reliable Middle East ally and, ultimately, our own security as well. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has become the high priestess of this cult – muttering mystic incantations about Palestinian suffering under the brutal Israeli occupation and how a Palestinian state would be the crowning achievement of American foreign policy, much the way the Munich pact was the Olympic gold of British diplomacy.Her recent address to...

SEOUL, South Korea - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she would not try to dictate how U.S. allies enforce sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear program, and there were signs South Korea wouldn't quickly embrace Washington's approach. "The key is to live up to the obligation that all of us undertook" to bar North Korea from exporting nuclear technology or receiving overseas help for its nuclear program, Rice said after meetings with South Korea's president and top diplomat. South Korea and China are the communist North's closest neighbors and trading partners, accounting for two-thirds of its foreign...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the United States is ready to use the "full range" of its military might to defend Japan in light of North Korea's nuclear weapons test, and her Japanese counterpart drew a firm line against developing a Japanese bomb. The United States is concerned that Japan, South Korea or perhaps Taiwan may want to develop their own nuclear weapons programs to counter the threat from North Korea. Such moves would anger China, which already has nuclear weapons, and raise tensions in the region. Part of Rice's assignment on this week's hastily arranged trip to...

Condoleezza Rice in Iraqi Kurdistan after Baghdad ERBIL (Iraq) - the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived Friday morning at Erbil, principal city of Iraqi Kurdistan, for discussions with the president of the autonomous area of Kurdistan Massoud Barzani, noted a journalist of AFP. Mrs. Rice had arrived Thursday to Iraq, in Baghdad, for a surprised visit intended to encourage the process of national reconciliation Iraqi, after visits in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. The American Secretary of State must go to London later in the course of the day to take part in the meeting of...

September 25, 2006 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Bill Clinton of making "flatly false" claims that the Bush administration didn't lift a finger to stop terrorism before the 9/11 attacks. Rice hammered Clinton, who leveled his charges in a contentious weekend interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News Channel, for his claims that the Bush administration "did not try" to kill Osama bin Laden in the eight months they controlled the White House before the Sept. 11 attacks. "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Bill Clinton of making "flatly false" claims that the Bush administration didn't lift a finger to stop terrorism before the 9/11 attacks. Rice hammered Clinton, who leveled his charges in a contentious weekend interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News Channel, for his claims that the Bush administration "did not try" to kill Osama bin Laden in the eight months they controlled the White House before the Sept. 11 attacks. "The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there and didn't do that is just flatly false - and I think...

It doesn't take much when you're the U.S. secretary of state, you're a woman and you're single. Condoleezza Ms. Rice spent some time this week with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay in his Nova Scotia riding. And there they were on the front page of the New York Times on Wednesday, clasping hands in greeting. The article, with the teaser headline “Dance of Diplomacy,” gently mocks the twitter of the gossip mill and “baseless speculation” about a blossoming romantic relationship. But the story took care to note that Mr. MacKay is “the closest thing to eye candy on the diplomatic...

STELLARTON, N.S.—The world's most influential diplomat and Ottawa's most eligible bachelor seem to be hitting it off. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay enjoyed a chummy — and unusual — visit to MacKay's Nova Scotia riding yesterday. In stark contrast to the usual government visits where diplomats do business on the fly, Rice spent 23 hours in Canada, many of them in MacKay's riding of Central Nova, a languid locale that couldn't be further from the diplomatic hell holes to which she's usually dispatched. "Peter, your foreign minister and your MP, invited me here....

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Halifax today to thank Canadians for helping the United States on Sept. 11. She's escorted by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Condi used the Civil War as an example to support the effort in Iraq. Money quotes from her interview in Essence Magazine. Secretary of State Rice compared the Iraq war with the American Civil War, telling a magazine that slavery might have lasted longer in this country if the North had decided to end the fight early. "I'm sure there are people who thought it was a mistake to fight the Civil War to its end and to insist that the emancipation of slaves would hold," Rice said in the new issue of Essence magazine. "I know there were people...

GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has overtaken US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the world's most powerful woman, according to a Forbes Magazine list published today. This time last year, Germany's first female chancellor was riding high in opinion polls as leader of the then-opposition conservative Christian Union but did not even feature in the ranks of Forbes's top 100 most powerful women. And besides Chinese Vice President Wu Yi, who slid one place this year to number three, the rest of the top 10 are business executives, topped by the chief executive-designate of PepsiCo, Indian born and educated Indra...

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has resigned as expected a day after his boss and close friend, Colin Powell, announced he was stepping down, a State Department official said on Tuesday. Armitage, a barrel-chested former Navy officer who closely managed the day-to-day operations of the State Department's worldwide bureaucracy, tendered his resignation to Powell on Monday, the official said. "He came in with the secretary and is leaving with him," said the official, who asked not to be identified. Armitage was respected among diplomats and lawmakers for his candor. He was always expected to leave at the same...

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has flunked her first foreign policy crisis in the Middle East . She went to the turbulent region last month in the early days of the war that began when Hezbollah forces in Lebanon crossed into Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. Rice had orders from President Bush to oppose any immediate ceasefire, which was hardly the proper policy by the United States if it wanted to end the suffering among Israelis and Lebanese. Rice apparently was dispatched to the Middle East to pass on to Israel the message that it has...

Rice calls Lebanese PM to warn him that if the UN Lebanon resolution is not implemented, “We will not be responsible for the consequences” August 13, 2006, 10:18 PM (GMT+02:00) Earlier, Israeli FM Tzipi Livni put in urgent calls to the US secretary and the French foreign minister in an effort to salvage the ceasefire from Iranian-backed Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s 12th-hour retraction of his consent.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has flunked her first foreign policy crisis in the Middle East. She went to the turbulent region last month in the early days of the war that began when Hezbollah forces in Lebanon crossed into Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. Rice had orders from President George W. Bush to oppose any immediate ceasefire, which was hardly the proper policy by the U.S. if it wanted to end the suffering among Israelis and Lebanese. Rice apparently was dispatched to the Middle East to pass on to Israel the message that it has the green light...

Syrian Author Colette Khuri Attacks U.S. Secretary of State Rice: "It is the Internal Ugliness of This Woman That Reflects on Her Looks" The following are excerpts from an interview with Syrian author Colette Khuri, which aired on Syrian TV on August 3, 2006. TO VIEW THIS CLIP: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1224 Colette Khuri: "There are people in America and Europe who do not know that resistance makes you walk with your head high. How can they possibly call it terrorism? They do not realize that the world's greatest terrorist is Bush, who in my opinion resembles Nero." [...] Interviewer: "Let's talk about...

I am very disappointed in the way things appear to be going in the war between Israel and Hezbollah and the efforts of the rest of the world to bring a de-escalation in the fighting. President Bush has been working hard writing a peace and ceasefire agreement for Israel and Hezbollah. It infuriates me to think that we are spending our time writing truces with terrorists who's only life goal is the genocide of Israel and the annihilation of western civilization. We must look incredibly ridiculous to the enemy. Bush's attempt to make peace with Muslim terrorists is in complete...

The Foreign Secretary spoke his mind on the Middle East — and became a target in Washington WHEN JACK STRAW was replaced by Margaret Beckett as Foreign Secretary, it seemed an almost inexplicable event. Mr Straw had been very competent — experienced, serious, moderate and always well briefed. Margaret Beckett is embarrassingly inexperienced. I made inquiries in Washington and was told that Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, had taken exception to Mr Straw’s statement that it would be “nuts” to bomb Iran. The United States, it was said, had put pressure on Tony Blair to change his Foreign Secretary. Mr...

CONDOLEEZZA RICE is coming under sustained criticism on several fronts. Some, even within the White House, have started referring to the “Condi Rice show” — suggesting that the Secretary of State spends too much time on television talking to a domestic audience and not enough in international negotiations. A senior Republican expressed unhappiness at the way that she was snubbed recently by Fouad Siniora, the Lebanese Prime Minister. “Henry Kissinger would never have been turned away from any capital,” he told The Times. Richard Armitage, who was deputy to her predecessor, Colin Powell, has publicly attacked her for ignoring opportunities...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush, and the dogs, are vacationing at their Crawford, TX, ranch for the next couple of week. However, no president is ever truly on vacation. Today, through White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, who is at the ranch, President Bush issued a statement saying he is pleased with the draft UN resolution regarding the war in the Middle East. Here is an excerpt from the widely circulated AP story: Bush Happy With Draft U.N. Resolution By NEDRA PICKLER, The Associated Press Aug 5, 2006 12:11 PM (46 mins ago) CRAWFORD, Texas -...

JERUSALEM, July 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday she believed a ceasefire can be reached this week to end fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Here is an edited text of her comments: "This morning, as I head back to Washington, I take with me an emerging consensus on what is necessary for both an urgent ceasefire and a lasting settlement. I am convinced we can achieve both this week and I am convinced that only by achieving both will the Lebanese people finally be able to control their country and...

Last update - 05:47 30/07/2006 Hezbollah leader: Israel continuing aggression at U.S.' behest Nasrallah threatens to fire missiles at central Israel By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday vowed to fire rockets on communities in central Israel if the military operation in Lebanon continued, and accused Israel of being an American "slave." "The bombardment of Afula and its military base is the beginning ... Many cities in the center [of Israel] will be targeted in the 'beyond Haifa' phase if the savage aggression continues on our country, people and villages," Nasrallah said...

ALARM - Rice will not go to Beirut, not of negotiation without cease-fire BEIRUT - the Secretary of State American, Condoleezza Rice, is not waited any more Sunday in Beirut, and the Lebanese government is directed towards a suspension of the negotiations if a cease-fire is not declared, indicated to AFP an official source which required anonymity.

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush are spending a quiet Saturday after two exceptionally busy weeks. Tomorrow they will attend a tee-ball game on the South Lawn before the President travels to Florida later in the day. The First Lady continues her round of campaign events for Republican candidates next week. Here is a very important item of news that may have escaped notice amid the momentous events taking place in the Middle East last week. (As always, the following are excerpts. Click link embedded in titles to read entire articles.) Bush Administration to Unveil Detainee Legislation...

Excerpt - KUALA LUMPUR : US top diplomat Condoleezza Rice won rave reviews Thursday for her musical performance at Asian security talks, despite skipping the traditional rowdy skits in favour of a sombre piano recital. With North Korea firing off missiles, carnage in Lebanon, rockets raining on Israel and killings convulsing Iraq, Rice was in no mood for the kind of frivolity staged in previous years. In keeping with her "serious" mood the Secretary of State performed two pieces from the brooding repertoire of Johannes Brahms -- a solo Intermezzo number two, and Brahms Sonata for violin and piano, opus...

The international talks in Rome, which broke up without agreement on a ceasefire call, gave Israel "authorization" to press its offensive in Lebanon, Justice Minister Haim Ramon said Thursday. "Yesterday in Rome we have in effect obtained the authorization to continue our operations until Hezbollah is no longer present in southern Lebanon," Ramon told army radio. He was speaking ahead of a cabinet meeting that is due to decide whether to expand the offensive, now in its 16th day.

The role of the international force that will be sent to Lebanon following a cease-fire will be to assist the Lebanese army to deploy in the south, ensure that Hezbollah does not rebuild its positions there and ensure that quiet is maintained along the Israeli-Lebanese border, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed Tuesday. However, government sources said, this force will not be responsible for disarming Hezbollah nor will it be stationed at the border crossings between Lebanon and Syria in order to halt the flow of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah. Israel has...

North Korea has defended its missile launches ahead of an Asian security forum expected to focus on them, describing US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a "political imbecile" for criticising the tests. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused Dr Rice, who called North Korea a "completely irresponsible" and "dangerous" state for test-firing seven ballistic missiles on July 5, of distorting the facts. However, the communist state also came in for criticism from a United Nations official who said the launches had prompted a cutback in food aid. Dr Rice and her North Korean counterpart Paek...

Excerpt - JERUSALEM - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the time has come for a new Middle East and an urgent end to the violence hanging over the region. "I have no doubt there are those who wish to strangle a democratic and sovereign Lebanon in its crib," Rice said. "We, of course, also urgently want to end the violence." Standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as they prepared to meet in his office, Rice reiterated the United States position that a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon must come with conditions that make an enduring peace. "It...

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Middle East today, meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Her job is tough: not just how to end the fighting in Lebanon, but how to defang Hezbollah ("Party of God," in Arabic) and bring a lasting peace to the Israelis and the Lebanese. With little leverage over Hezbollah terrorists or their Syrian and Iranian sponsors, Miss Rice will not visit Damascus, nor meet with Iranian officials. Many in Europe have called for the U.S. to impose a ceasefire on Israel as the U.N. Security Council...

WASHINGTON - the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will announce Friday the first details of a "diplomatic plan" international for the Middle East, indicated to AFP a high person in charge for the State Department.Mrs. Rice, who prepares to go in the area, "will have something to say this afternoon", declared the person in charge American."We are working in a diplomatic plan which would tackle the violence to which we attend and the roots of this violence", it added. "It will be an international effort".According to the American chain NBC, Mrs. Rice tries to organize a meeting of...

Cool Your Heels, Madame Secretary By The Editors Rarely has a diplomatic mission been so vague. According to White House spokesman Tony Snow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is heading to the Middle East at some point, for some purpose or other. This is encouraging — because the later she goes, the better. The timing of Rice’s trip is so important because it will likely signal the point at which the U.S. begins join the usual suspects in pressuring Israel to stand down in Lebanon. For now, Israel clearly has more time to attempt to deliver a punishing blow to...

Israel may need to prolong its offensive in Lebanon to further reduce the threat from Hezbollah, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today, as some Democrats called on her to travel to the region immediately to help defuse the crisis. Ms. Rice appeared to support a longer-term Israeli effort to inflict decisive damage to Hezbollah’s presence in Lebanon. She also said she was considering a trip to the region. “A cessation of violence is crucial, but if that cessation of violence is hostage to Hezbollah’s next decision to launch missiles into Israel or Hamas’s next decision to abduct an Israeli...

When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that the administration was willing to join negotiations on Iran's nuclear program, she did not go to the drab State Department briefing room. Instead, in full view of the television cameras, she strolled about 50 feet to the microphones set up in the middle of the vast and ornate Benjamin Franklin Room, evoking a visual of the president walking through the White House to the East Room for a prime-time news conference. The setting of the Iran announcement at the end of May was no accident, but intended to demonstrate the seriousness of...

'Condistas' want Rice for president in 2008 By JULIE CARR SMYTH, AP Statehouse Correspondent 16 minutes ago Their names are varied: Team Condi. Rice for America. The Draft Rice movement. Condistas. But this disparate group of Internet gurus, politics junkies and Hillary haters shares a common goal: Elect Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice president in 2008. Mick Wright, a professional webmaster in Memphis, Tenn., was one of more than a dozen people to register a draft-Rice Web site in the year after President Bush was re-elected. He said he was driven by the "post-election blues." "Once that was all...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who dines with heads of state from around the world, slightly blushed and chuckled aloud when asked about her inclusion in a recent men's magazine poll that asked men which woman they'd invite to dinner. The list to choose from also included Oprah Winfrey, one of the richest women in the world, and Angelina Jolie, voted one of the sexiest. "I was stunned," Rice told the News & Record in a lighter moment before speaking to more than 11,000 delegates, called messengers, of the Southern Baptist Convention. "I'm not sure I would choose me." Her...

Weekend Talk Show *Preview* for 6/3 - 6/4/06 (not the live thread)The main message is the Sunday Shows.  Message 1 will be the Saturday Shows and message 2 will be the show guest links post.  Then I'll post the ping list.ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos) Meme: Everything wrong on the planet is the fault of the United States (George W. Bush)Anyone who doesn't bow down before the god of Global Warming must be burned at the stake crucified (burning at the stake would add to the greenhouse gasses)Al Gore is the once and future President (we was robbed... a Kennedy...

Poll is on the right, about half-way down the page: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060522rice.shtml

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: President and Mrs. Bush attended St. John's this morning, and GWB went for a mountain bike ride. The first couple also made a brief television appearance to congratulate the new Iraqi government. Here are the President's brief remarks: THE PRESIDENT: The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in freedom. And the formation of the unity government in Iraq begins a new chapter in our relationship with Iraq. This morning, I called the President, the Prime Minister and the Speaker to congratulate...

Plans by a prominent Boston Jesuit school to award U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice an honorary degree are stirring protests by some students and faculty who say her support for the Iraq war contradicts Catholic teaching. Boston College theology professor David Hollenbach and Kenneth Himes, the department's chair, issued a petition to the school's president objecting to a planned commencement address by Rice on Monday when she will receive the honorary degree -- a custom for commencement speakers. One faculty member, Steven Almond, resigned in protest. "We'll be turning our backs during the honorary degree ceremony," said Sasha Westerman,...

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, traded barbs during bad- tempered talks at a foreign ministers' summit in New York on Iran's nuclear program a week ago. The exchanges provided a candid introduction to diplomacy for Margaret Beckett, Britain's new foreign secretary, who attended the tetchy session at the end of her first full day in the job. The row, which further undermines hopes of a diplomatic solution to the Iran crisis, reflects deepening rifts between the United States and Russia. Tension surfaced at a private meeting hosted by Rice in the Waldorf Hotel...

The punditry world is abuzz with talk of a recent New Yorker article (no link available) by writer Jeffrey Goldberg, who has interviewed Brent Scowcroft, the former national security advisor for the Ford Administration and the Administration of George H.W. Bush. In a number of passages in the piece, Scowcroft takes on the current Bush Administration over the issue of Iraq, something for which he has earned applause from many Democrats and other Bush critics. But when one reads the entire New Yorker piece, one finds that Scowcroft's critique is directed at foreign policy idealism in general. And it's a...

The main message is the Sunday Shows.  Message 1 will be the Saturday Shows and message 2 will be the show guest links post.  Then I'll post the ping list.ABC This Week (George Stephanopoulos) Meme: It's the oil companies faultOK, if it's not the oil companies, then it's the incompetent Bush administration foreign policiesGeorge Clooney is a serious and important voice on the international stage (can you say "presidential material?") Topics: Oil, Iraq and foreign policy Turmoil overseas is pinching American pocketbooks at the gas pumps. On Sunday, I'll speak with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to ask how the...

From: Rev. Wayne Perryman DoubleBro@aol.com Dear Friends The following sample math problem was given to students as part of their final exam at Bellevue Community College in Washington State. I was asked by black students to represent them in this matter. Some of these students attend my church. I am asking all of you and your friends to e-mail the school at the following e-mail addresses and express your outrage: Advising@bcc.ctc.edu, tpritcha@bcc.ctc.edu, and amatsumo@bcc.ctc.edu. The following is the math problem given to the students. The Problem: Condoleezza holds a watermelon just over the edge of the roof of the 300...

Chaos Theory From AP: Rice: World United Agaisnt Iran In Dispute. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Thursday the "international community is united" in the dispute over its nuclear program, but a Tehran envoy defiantly rejected a U.N. call to reimpose a freeze on uranium enrichment. Rice spoke after a meeting in Berlin among diplomats from the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany over ways to press Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for weapons. Iran says its program is peaceful. The meeting follows agreement Wednesday by the 15-member Security Council...

   When Pigs Sing March 30, 2006 Appearing as a guest on this past Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice answered a question about dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions by stressing that, “We really do have a chance to solve this diplomatically”.  With all due respect to the Secretary and her diplomatic demeanor, “Yeah...when you can teach a pig to sing!” Almost simultaneously with Secretary Rice’s diplomatic entreaties, the lips attached to the swarthy face of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pledged, during a speech in south-western Iran, that “All these threats and intimidations by the West...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and First Lady, accompanied by the Secretary of State, returned from Camp David earlier today. It will be a momentous week in Washington as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a military commissions case, and the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on Sen. Russ Feingold's call to censure the President over the wiretap controversy. In this mix of venality and stupidity, there is some happier news: Cincinnati, OH (Sports Network) - The Cincinnati Reds announced Friday that President George W. Bush will throw out the first pitch prior to the Reds'...

Journal Editorial Report (Paul Gigot) - FNC show page Meme: The Bush administration policies are a failure and Bush has bad poll numbersBush's bad poll numbers are sinking the RepublicansBush must clean house and replace those the MSM hates (because they're not listening to us!)The paleocons and country club Republicans have turned their back on Bush (the Nixon wing of the party tries to rise again) Topics: 'Civil War'? - Tune in this weekend for a discussion of Iraq and Harvard professors' campaign against Israel. (Opinion Journal web site promo)Is Iraq really headed toward civil war? An interview with Reuel...

'IF THAT JOB COMES OPEN, I'M GONE." That's what Condoleezza Rice told Ebony magazine last November when she was asked about her oft-repeated desire to become commissioner of the NFL. With Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's announcement Monday that he plans to step down in July, it may be time for President Bush to look for another secretary of State. The NFL's 32 team owners would be crazy not to offer the job to Rice. Her constant teasing about wanting the job — she told Fox News in December that she wanted it — is reminiscent of another improbable sports commissioner, baseball's...

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2006 – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal today during the ship's regularly scheduled port visit here. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks to the crew of the guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal during a visit to the ship March 16. Port Royal was in Sydney for a regularly scheduled port visit. The secretary made brief but encouraging comments to the crew and visiting media on the ship's main deck before going below decks for a special lunch with the sailors. "This group of wonderful young men and women who represent...