Posted on 02/02/2006 6:22:22 AM PST by Wuli
In reaction to the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections, Condoleeza Rice's response was:
"She's [Condi] asked her staff to look into that. Why is it that we didn't see this coming?"
I am sorry all you Condi supporters, but this is extremely disconcerting.
It is completely indicative of someone living in the policy wonk world of the State Department, getting 99.99% of their news and "analysis" from that world and clueless as to what is actually going on. 9/11 was the result of 40 years of that kind of myopic foreign policy thinking.
"Didn't see it coming?? Let's see -
(A)the Palestinians more than anyone saw the years of constant corruption and corrupt cronyism of Arafat and his lackeys; so we can conclude that the state department simply ignored how deep that corruption was and they ignored how well it was known and resented by the average Palestinian; they accepted the Arafat/PA media presentation of who and what Arafat and the PA were (NOT);
(B)without their public figurehead, Arafat's lackeys were more concerned about divying up the spoils and the perks of the PA, and the Palestinian people knew that as well; if how the PA managed the "takeover" of Gaza did not bring that to light at foggy bottom, then nothing would have;
(C)for all its moral and political corruption, Hamas:
(1)was not associated organizationally with Arafat or the PA,
(2)spent millions every year on Palestinian welfare and charity institutions, buying the support of millions of poor Palestinians and
(3)never adopted the "we will recognize Israel" position that Arafat and the PA adopted in the Oslo accords;
and finally -
(D) the "street" in the Palestinian territories credited Hamas and its terrorism as having secured Gaza from Israel.
And Condi, in what I can only look at as ignorance, says : "how did this [Hamas wins election] happen?".
It is apparent that you could not learn these things working at the State Department.
I am no more fond of "the media" than the next Freeper, but there is a difference between not being fond of the media and not believing all the media says versus being totally uninformed and clueless.
To recognize the biases in the media is one thing, but to turn all outside, independent information off; to not be informed beyond what only your staff and your bureaucrats tell you; to not seek information and analysis beyond the confines of those who are trying to shape your opinions, and still make public policy is the equivalent of having your head buried in bureaucratic quicksand. It's dangerous.
I love Condi- she is one of the most stellar personalities EVER appointed to a public office. She is brilliant and a class act.
However-
She is an intellectual, an academic, an advisor. I just don't see her running for POTUS. She is far too above the fray.
Can anyone here actually see this lovely, elegant woman trading barbs with a mud sow like Hillary?
Really?
We are glad to receive the intelligence of your reply. Please don't lower your standards.
Maybe it does or maybe it doesn't. That was not the issue. The issue is Condi's clueless stand as to why Hamas won.
You need to produce the source of the quote. SOP.
Moreover, you have quoted Rice saying "She's [Condi] asked her staff to look into that. Why is it that we didn't see this coming?"
Does not make sense for Condi to refer to herself as 'She'. I suspect that you are paraphrasing rather than 'quoting'.
Of course, we have no way of knowing the future, and will have to wait and see. I just hope a train runs over the hildabeast... or she gets jailed for all her crimes, along with Bubba. (I'll put down the bong now)
Besides, she says she's not running, so what's your point?
Just out trolling, maybe?
And that other exception...a not-to-be-named junior senator from New York...
U.S. State Department to investigate failure to foresee Hamas victory
................
The United States is examining why it was caught off guard by Hamas' victory in Palestinian legislative elections last week, the U.S. State Department said Wednesday.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged earlier this week that she was surprised by Hamas's defeat of the Fatah party, which had dominated Palestinian politics for years.
"She's asked her staff to look into that. Why is it that we didn't see this coming?" US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
H*l*n Th*m*s or
M**r**n D*wd?
Like Condi is incapable of sarcasm?
The ability to detect sarcasm is a function of intelligence.
Dumb people like you are incapable of recognizing it.
You signed up today, but appear to be quite experienced in posting, therefore you are posting anonymously, which makes you a sneaky creep.
Kind of like a Democrat.
I am not tying "all these events" to Condi.
I am pointing out that "all these events", their history, their factual nature and the situation on the ground, in the Palestinian territories, that they help define, should have left no thorougly knowledgeable observer clueless, and needing an investigation, as to how they did not forsee the strength of Hamas. The facts were there, before the elections. They - the divas at the State Department - ignored them, dismissed them, played them down and did what they have done for forty years - built up the mythic proportions of Arafat and his organization.
Condi has changed nothing at the State Department.
My political "friends" are all conservatives.
Condi may be a wonderful person. She has not "managed" or "tamed" the State Department. It runs her.
If it is true that Condi didn't see this coming, then it that would be yet another indication of her misreading of the Israel situation.
If Condi were white and male his political stock would be near zero.
Her deparment says they didn't see it coming and she has asked them - the very people who didn't see it coming - to "investigate" why they didn't see it coming. The blind investigate the blind.
What she is really asking her staff is why she wasn't given a better synopsis of potential scenarios, in short she is asking them why they failed to do their jobs as they are supposed to.
If you believe that she can do her job or the job of the president solo and completely on her own, you don't have the slightest clue about leadership.
As soon as she said that I'm sure there were a host of red faces and red ears in her staff at being told they had failed the country, the president and her in their jobs and if they didn't get that message they are as equally clueless as the originator of this thread.
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