Rice Flunks First International Crisis

Hearst Syndicate ^ | 08/10/06 | Helen Thomas, hateful bitch

[presidio9]

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 from the White House to do whatever it wanted and could take more time to clobber the rocket-firing Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, despite Lebanese and international pleas for a truce.

Israel took that message to heart, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seems bent on proving that he can be as tough as his predecessors.

During her trip, Rice was snubbed by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who told her she was not welcome in Beirut if the U.S. did not support an immediate cessation of hostilities.

She was later blindsided in her personal visit with Olmert and other Israeli officials. During the meeting, the Israelis failed to alert Rice of their bombing massacre that day of Lebanese civilians in the village of Qana. The attack evoked worldwide indignation.

Rice was notified of the attack later by e-mail from a State Department staffer. After learning the news of Qana, Rice appeared shaken and stressed out. Perhaps the human dimension of a threadbare foreign policy finally hit home.

Rice is out of her league and seems to have little knowledge about the Middle East. Her expertise was always on the now-defunct Soviet Union and the Cold War.

Nor does she seek the advice of her former boss, Brent Scowcroft, who served as President George H. W. Bush's national security adviser. Scowcroft is a pro in Middle East diplomacy.

Her style is to lecture the leaders of sovereign countries as though they were school boys. When asked why the U.S. won't talk to the Syrians, who she blames for sponsoring Hezbollah, she said, "Syrians have known for a long time what they need to do."

Insiders claim that after her return from her Middle Eastern swing, Rice began pushing for a quick ceasefire but that Bush refused -- apparently to accommodate the wishes of the Israeli leaders, who wanted more time to rough up Hezbollah.

Former President Jimmy Carter has been critical of the Bush-Rice policies, which he said have fostered violence in the Middle East and "encourage the continuation of attacks on both sides."

Rice said she is working for a lasting and sustainable peace, but I'm sure the people in the war zone would be happy if the U.S. would just take steps now to stop the guns of August.

Retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom recently zeroed in a fundamental truth about the Hezbollah-Israel war when he said U.S. policies in Iraq "opened the door for Iran and Syria to support Hezbollah." The U.S. presence in Iraq has had a "radicalizing impact" in the region, Odom recently wrote.

It will be a long time before America regains the great respect and reverence it once enjoyed among the peoples of the Middle East, before Bush's aggressive policies took hold, starting with his unprovoked invasion of Iraq.

The Iraqi war -- which Rice helped to pump up when she was Bush's national security adviser -- is one of her foreign policy failures. The failure of the U.S. to take steps to halt the current Israel-Hezbollah war is merely another sign that she's in over her head.

(Helen Thomas can be reached at the e-mail address hthomas@hearstdc.com).

[Beckwith]

Takes one to know one.

Wow! I haven't heard that slick comeback since second grade.

[presidio9]

Wow! I haven't heard that slick comeback since second grade.

Seemed like an appropriate comeback, given the nature of the observation. But I guess that one went over your head. No suprise there.

[SlowBoat407]

I think I read somewhere Helen was Lebanese. IMO she should go back there and do something. Maybe be a human shield.

She is indeed of Lebanese extraction. Sadly, many Lebanese are just as anti-Israeli as are the Arabs, simply because they have been indoctrinated to be so. For a different Lebanese perspective, may I recommend Brigitte Gabriel. (She's also much easier to look at).

[Beckwith]

You're more like Sonny

No, Fredo!

[Beckwith]

I'm 6' 4" -- very little goes over my head.

[sully777]

I don't what's going on Presidio.

For something completely different:

---

(Clinton blushing with Helen) "...I hit it and thoroughly enjoyed it."

---

[presidio9]

I'm 6' 4" -- very little goes over my head.

You'd be suprised (naturally).

[Howlin]

Love your COMMENT after her name!

[presidio9]

No, Fredo!

Now see what happened, you went and encouraged the wingnuts. Bad Wingnut! No soup for you!

[sully777]

You broke my heart Fredo.

[presidio9]

Me & Mo are good friends, right Mo?

[Candor7]

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.>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thomas could clone her brain into 100 copies, wire them in parallel, and she would STILL not approach a one tenth reading of Condi Rices intelligence.

Rice on POTUS work very closely together, and Helen, ( a cold,wasted dyke) does not have the perceptive ability to assess the teamwork between Rice and Dubyah. For her , as with Madelain Albright, dip[lomacy must be ivory tower to be acknowledged in success. I mean , Helen, the name of the game is , "buy time for Israel" and Condi is doing queenly work, the likes of which Helen's addled perception cannot even begin to appreciate.

Retire , Helen. Write your memoirs, that is if you can recall any.

[pepperdog]

"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."

Goodness me, did they expect her to go to Israel and say "the USA demands that you stop defending yourselves" and even more remote, expect Israel to agree? This whole article is a bunch of BS. The Mideast has been a morass since the end of WWII and anyone who doesn't realize that is an idiot. Answers? I have none. I pray for peace but expect war. Someone needs to study History badly. Giving in to radical Muslim controlled countries ALWAYS results in further bloodshed. If I'm wrong please make me aware of any agreement they've honored concerning Israel.

[pepperdog]

Ignore what I wrote, I honestly didn't notice it was a Helen Thomas article. I wouldn't have bothered replying had I noticed. Arguing with a fool is a complete waste of time.

[Arcy]

Rice's greatest misunderstanding and how it changes American Policy in the Middle East:

As much as I like Sec. of State Condi Rice, one of her most closely held views that many are unaware of, is a doctrine that religious scholars refer to as "replacement theology".

In short, "Replacement Theology" is the belief that "The Church" (i.e. Christians) have taken the place of Israel in scripture. This includes all prophecy dealing with the end times as well. This belief is arrived at by believing that when Jesus was rejected as the Messiah by the Jews, "believing Gentiles" supernaturally became "Gods chosen people".

One may ask, so what does this have to do with how she makes decisions regarding policy in the Middle East?. The short answer is this; If her beliefs are correct then it suddenly becomes "kosher" to give away land that God gave Israel. After all, they are not His "chosen people" anymore right? And, the land is no longer their land. The land was given to his "chosen people" right? And who are his chosen people? Well, if you subsrcibe to the doctrine of "replacement theology", the Gentiles are. So when we (the United States) urge Israel to give away land, we really don't view it as "their" land.

This dramatically affects how much pressure we put on Israel to compromise with terrorists and believe it or not, it affects us as well. Consider this one verse from Gen. 12:3 referring to the people of Israel. "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

The entire world has in fact been blessed through Israel. The Messiah came through them. I don't believe that Gods blessing on those who support Israel has ceased. I just wish Secretary Rice saw it the same way.

That's my $.02.

[no dems]

WHY DO YOU POST ANYTHING WRITTEN BY THAT WITCH, HELEN THOMAS?

[pissant]

What was the name of that guy who was running the gay soldier porn sites? He seemed to have vanished.

[cwb]

And this is the woman who fawns all over Clinton as one of the greatest presidents of all-time; the same president who was so concerned with building a legacy of Mideast peace, that he intentionally ignored and appeased the growing terrorist threat.

The irony is obvious; in Clinton's attempt to forge a Mideast legacy he looked the other way as to not alienate the Arab/Muslim support HE needed to secure this legacy. Sadly, his concessions, appeasement and unwillingness to confront this threat (treating terrorism as a criminal act) has only made the situation worse. That Helen can't see any of this is a testament to her own ignorance.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. also

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[sully777]

Huh?