Rice reins in neo-conservatives on Iraq

UPI ^ | June 16 05 | Martin Seiff

[churchillbuff]

Secretary of State Rice, the president's right hand on all foreign policy issues, has resolutely blocked pressure from Rumsfeld and Cheney to grant key appointments, especially in the Bureau of Near East Affairs and Middle East diplomatic posts, to neo-conservatives.

She chose David Welch, a solid, widely respected professional Foreign Service Officer with immense experience in the Arab world as assistant secretary for Near East affairs. And State insiders say she and Welch are considering Richard Jones, another seasoned Middle East veteran and professional diplomat, who is Rice's current special advisor and coordinator on Iraq, for the crucial slot of ambassador to Israel.

...[snip]The degree to which Rice, backed by the president and the White House, has shifted direction on the Middle East is most of all seen on Iran. Last week, "The Hill" newspaper on Capitol Hill published an important article noting that strong pro-Israel activists in both Houses of Congress led by Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the Senate and Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida for the Democrats were pushing for far tougher Congressional legislation against Iran.

This move was consistent with the theme of the annual policy conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, last month. Around one third of the Senate and half the House of Representatives attended the conference's dinner in what has long been its annual ritual flexing of political muscle in Washington. AIPAC chose as its key speakers, former assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle, Wolfowitz's close friend and ally, and Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute, who have both campaigned tirelessly for aggressive U.S. action against Iran.

AIPAC's direct political clout on Capitol Hill remains as strong as ever. But what was striking, was that it needed its supporters in both Houses of Congress to push for Iran legislation and could no longer count on the clout of sympathetic neo-cons in the administration to push the policies through in the executive branch.

Also, as The Hill reported, Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, head of the House International Relations Committee, and Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were both determined to keep any new proposed legislation to punish Iran bottled up in their committees. The go ahead for both of them to do that has been coming from the White House and from Secretary Rice.

The strategic imperative leading the president and his secretary of state to move with caution over Iran flows directly from the continuing violence in neighboring Iraq. With nearly 140,000 U.S. troops still bogged down there and no improvement remotely in sight, the last thing the administration needs is to risk a conflict with neighboring Iran, especially that could dangerously alienate the 60 percent of Iraqis who, like the Iranians, are Shiite Muslim in their religious faith. Iraq in that case could rapidly become ungovernable even if half a million U.S. troops were poured into it.

None of these developments entirely removes the danger of a possible clash between Washington and Tehran. But the current tone in U.S. policy has certainly been striking a more cautious note, and is reducing tensions, at least for the moment.

[churchillbuff]

The strategic imperative leading the president and his secretary of state to move with caution over Iran flows directly from the continuing violence in neighboring Iraq. With nearly 140,000 U.S. troops still bogged down there and no improvement remotely in sight, the last thing the administration needs is to risk a conflict with neighboring Iran, especially that could dangerously alienate the 60 percent of Iraqis who, like the Iranians, are Shiite Muslim in their religious faith. Iraq in that case could rapidly become ungovernable even if half a million U.S. troops were poured into it.

[snowsislander]

I wonder what will happen when Iran makes its first nuclear weapons test.

I am now waiting to hear the first reports of Iran's and North Korea's testing. Either could make a test here in the very short future, though it appears to me that North Korea is closer to taking that step.

[econ_grad]

I will take neo-cons over seasoned diplomats anyday. True, the neo-cons are trigger-happy, but seasoned diplomats are dictator-happy. Their goal is to appease dictators. Why can't we have people in the State Dept who will represent the shareholders, ie taxpayers?

[MJY1288]

Our 140,000 troops are not bogged down in Iraq, they are on high alert for IED's, and still taking casualties from them, but they are not bogged down. You should go to work for Dan Rather, he needs saps like you.

[Echo Talon]

Secretary of State Rice, the president's right hand on all foreign policy issues, has resolutely blocked pressure from Rumsfeld and Cheney to grant key appointments, especially in the Bureau of Near East Affairs and Middle East diplomatic posts, to neo-conservatives.

So... are they giving Bush or Condi credit for not giving appointments to the dreaded neo-cons? umm wait... I thought Dubya was a neo-con? now im confused... :D

[vbmoneyspender]

when you are an American socialist -- er, liberal - you have to take your small pleasures where you can find them. Like with 5th column reports written by socialist -- er, liberal reporters.

[Echo Talon]

I just thought it was strange, how they have to say Condi is a
lap dog of Bush, like they say Bush is a lap dog of Cheney, but this article says Bush is going AGAINST Cheney... so who is ACTUALLY RUNNING THINGS? hmmm I'm totally confused....

[NutCrackerBoy]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has frozen the neo-conservatives out of the power positions in the State Department. And the administration is standing firm against pressure from congress to turn up the heat on Iran, behind which many observers see the hand of the Israeli lobby. -MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst

Sieff doesn't quite get it. Turning up the heat on Iran is exactly what needs to happen. I'm offended by the implication that only the "Israel lobby" could desire that.

The State Department has been deeply, institutionally opposed to imposing pressure on the world's evil regimes. Secretary Rice is working hard to reorient State - turning a big ol' ship around.

[nerdwithamachinegun]

I've met Richard Jones. He's no dictator happy appeaser.
I don't know that he's a neo-con but I think he's great choice.

[angkor]

"Bogged down"?

In what way? I don't see much "bogged down" from my seat.

In fact I see a Syria that was suckerpunched by Operation Matador, a jihadi/criminal faction that's being dismembered from the bottom by Operation Lightening, an Iraqi government and military where citizens continuously stand firm in the face of death, and a country that's slowly moving from darkness into daylight.

"Bogged down"? Where? How?

[iopscusa]

This is another piece of UPI crap. Why bother posting, and then to followup with more anti-Iraqi Freedom, anti-war spending and anti-Conservative tripe? Neo-Cons, really, have you no shame? What would you propose to have done in the WOT, attack/defend with some Milton Friedman monetary policies or march the State Dept burroCrats out to defend the nation? Maybe you should read more of Churchill...and less of the Fed Reserve reports!

[Caipirabob]

With nearly 140,000 U.S. troops still bogged down there and no improvement remotely in sight

Of course they're "bogged down". They're annihiliating terrorists cells like a blender set to "frappe". This is just "UPI Speak" for the same thing. If they had caught Bin Laden and Zarqawi on the same day, UPI would report "Imminent disaster awaiting US Troops after capture of two terrorists suspects".

[sure_fine]

one question, just one (1) silly question

why in the hell do we have bombs if we aren't going to use them to save wear and tear on our soldiers?

[metesky]

A simple answer to a silly question:

The enemy hides among the civilian population and dropping bombs on civilian targets would cause an uproar among our socialist friends worldwide. OK?

[familyop]

The formerly communist, now fascist left strikes again with propaganda against our defense. I really doubt that Secretary of State Rice has joined the insidious, antisemitic, anti-defense Louis Farrakhan agenda as is inferred in the posted column.

[sure_fine]

"The enemy hides among the civilian population and dropping bombs on civilian targets would cause an uproar among our socialist friends worldwide. OK? "

I don't have any socialist 'friends'

[metesky]

I never said that you had socialist friends, I used the word "our".

But then again I probably should have included a /sarcasm tag, eh? I'll get the hang of this stuff sooner or later.
:O)

[sure_fine]

"I probably should have included a /sarcasm tag, eh?"




LOL, good, I still don't have any socialist friends ;-)

[Americanexpat]

US troops bogged down in Iraq?

Let's see I just read, in the last couple of days, the Egyptian government press is bad mouthing AL Z for being employed by the US and ALZ badmouthing Al Jezeera for not supporting his troops. Does that mean the terrorists are bogged down in Iraq?

[section9]

Maybe not, but you can be damned sure that Condi will be accused of being a tool of the Hook Nosed Jewish Neocon Banking Conspiracy before too long.

Or maybe not...

Be Seeing You,

Chris