For Rice, Unexpected Sanctuary by the Bay (Sec. Rice at Commonwealth Club)

The Washington Post ^ | Saturday, May 28, 2005 | Evelyn Nieves

[kristinn]

The secretary of state was braving an appearance in hostile territory. The protests could have gotten ugly. The questions could have gotten hard.

Instead, in midnight-blue San Francisco, a city still in mourning over the presidential election, Condoleezza Rice was granted sanctuary. At a noon speech Friday at the Commonwealth Club of California -- the topic was spreading democracy throughout the world -- Rice was greeted with a standing ovation. She was interrupted by applause several times and was asked questions about as challenging as those at a presidential town hall meeting.

True, Code Pink and other antiwar groups, numbering about 250 protesters in all, kept police and traffic busy outside Davies Symphony Hall, where Rice addressed a capacity crowd.

Then, about five minutes into the secretary's 30-minute speech, three audience members donned black hooded robes and stood with their arms outstretched, referencing the infamous photos of detainees abused by U.S. military police at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Chanting "Stop the torture, stop the killing, U.S. out of Iraq," they were quickly ushered out by a police SWAT team, as the audience cheered and applauded.

SNIP

From then on, it was smooth sailing for the secretary of state, who considered her visit a homecoming, having spent years in the Bay Area as a professor and provost at Stanford University. Gloria Duffy, chief executive of the Commonwealth Club and a close friend of Rice's, moderated the question portion of the program, sifting through cards written by audience members. The ones she picked seemed to underscore the forum's nonpartisanship.

SNIP

There was some grumbling from the press row that the questions sounded as if they were written by the same friendly person.

[kristinn]

The Post's reporter sounds sooooo disappointed Sec. Rice didn't get a rhetorical or actual pie in the face.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

I saw some of her speech on CSPAN.

She was not at her best.

[kristinn]

How so?

[Tunehead54]

She said she believes that one day there would be democracy and freedom and peace in the Middle East.

From the applause and ovation that followed, the audience heartily wanted to believe her.

---

Evelyn Nieves - WP Reporterette obvious thought: "Fools!". Oh well ... her time is up - she just doesn't recognize the fact. ;-)

[Russ]

I haven't seen enough of her speeches to say she was not at her best. Giving a speech in San Francisco is probably as nerve-wracking as giving one in a merket square in Baghdad. You never know when someone will toss something lethal at you.

[BenLurkin]

Rules, you know . . . .

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

How so?

Poorly prepared and tentative.

I've seen her much better under tougher circumstances.

[frankiep]

There was some grumbling from the press row that the questions sounded as if they were written by the same friendly person.

Translation: We can't believe that everyone else attending, with the exception of the clever moonbats who were kicked out, is so stupid that they don't hate her like we do.

[Bernard Marx]

Is this a "news" story or an op-ed opinion piece? I know it's opinion but I'd really like to know how the paper played it. In the news pages as "straight" news, or as opinion?

[AdrianR]

On Washington Post website, it's under "news", not "opinion".

[Bernard Marx]

Thanks. I'm appalled! I could see a by-lined piece like this as an op-ed -- I disagree with it, yes, but that would be within the established bounds of journalism. But inserting that kind of first-person opinion into a supposed "news" story is worthy of a Helen Thomas, the worst journalist in America.