At State, Rice Takes Control of Diplomacy ("Most Powerful Secretary of State in Decades")

The Washington Post (Really) ^ | Sunday, July 31, 2005 | Robin Wright and Glenn Kessler

[kristinn]

This article is a surprisingly upbeat read coming from The Washington Post. Condi fans will be delighted, I think.

[tet68]

You'd be right.
State has needed reform for a long long time.

[tet68]

On her first trip abroad, Rice warned the European Union not to lift an arms embargo on China, telling diplomats they would rue the day if U.S. troops ever faced European-armed Chinese soldiers across the Taiwan straits. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who then held the rotating European Union presidency, was so startled by her tough talk that he spilled his coffee in the lap of European foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Bwhahahah!

Imagine having Bolton on the team too!
They wouldn't know which end was up.

[don-o]

nice get - wonder if she will be on the Sunday shows

[FreedomPoster]

Let's just hope she can manage to early-retire much of the bureaucracy at Foggy Bottom.

[tet68]

Ditto.

[Travis McGee]

Yep, I can't wait!

[aculeus]

This article is a surprisingly upbeat read coming from The Washington Post. Condi fans will be delighted, I think.

Biased as the Post is, the NY Times is beyond the pale. It's now as left wing as The Nation.

[Wolfstar]

Condi for President in '08!

[sarasmom]

As long as she fires at least half of the staff at the State Department, while she is out and about doing her job, I will be happy.
Heck, I am happy watching the putrid diplomats having to deal with a dose of clear reality.
Condi/Rummy or Rummy/Condi...

[kayak]

ping

[fish hawk]

Condi= The American Thatcher

[GSlob]

"In a leap of faith 60 years ago, Rice told her staff, the United States argued that Japan could become a democracy, even though its society was not Western and its governments were historically autocratic. Today, after two wars in the Islamic world, Rice believes the Middle East can undergo similar change." -from the article
For that one would need to deliver there a shattering and humiliating defeat to break the cultural mold (and p*ss into that broken mold to cement the impression) and have a MacArthur to administer it. So far it appears that the mold endures.

[henderson field]

The State Department should support Americans traveling abroad. If they do not, they should be de-funded.

[YaYa123]

* On North Korea, Rice got the prickly Pyongyang government back to six-nation talks last week on nuclear disarmament

* On Iran, Rice agreed to offer incentives

* With India, she brokered a deal to sell peaceful nuclear technology

* On Sudan, Rice found middle ground


Bada Bing!

I agree this article is upbeat, even with the basic "butt monkeys" like: it's too soon to tell if Condi's success is long term. But Robin Wright, (who followed Colin Powell around like a lovesick puppy), actually did offer comparative praise to Condi.

The article would have been even better if the 2 reporters had compared Condi's early accomplishments to Madeleine Albright's final tally. Or would have that been just too painful to print?

[Citizen Tom Paine]

She is my hero! Imagine someone from State that speaks the truth.

[ohioWfan]

I like the words 'Condi' and 'powerful' used in the same sentence.

[omniscient]

[kromike]

Let us all pause for a moment and dwell on the alternative universe where Kerry is President. Secretary of State...

Natalie Maines?
George Soros?
Ted Kennedy?
Bruce Springsteen?
Moby?
Ter-RAY-zuh Heinz?
Alexandra Kerry (who told that nauseating rescued-hamster story)?
Michael Moore?
Jimmy Carter?
Nancy Pelosi?
Rajin Al Gore?
Hillary Clinton?
Michael Moore?
Jane Fonda?
John "Forrest-Gump" Edwards ("we will destroy yew...")?

Any of these, perhaps someone even worse. America has really dodged the bullet twice now. Think about it...

[Soul Seeker]

Ignoring the Rummy bash, usual shots at the admin & Iraq policy as well as BIDEN of all people given the right to assess her performance... this caught my eye.

Rice has worked hard -- at a pace that sometimes seems like a campaign -- to overcome her image during Bush's first term as a weak national security adviser who struggled to mediate among the strong-willed personalities vying to shape foreign policy.

I wasn't aware anyone believed she had a weak image to overcome when confirmed to the position. Infact earlier her confrontation with the U.S. Congress was considered must see TV as se dismantled them.

Still, This article must pain Colin and Hillary.