Novak..... "State Department a mess under Rice"

[RedEarth]

State Department a mess under Rice.

Robert Novak, in today’s Washington Post: “Republicans in Congress who do not want to be quoted tell me that the State Department under Condoleezza Rice is a mess. This comes at a time when the U.S. global position is precarious. While attention is focused on Iraq, American diplomacy is being tested worldwide — in Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Korea and Sudan. The judgment by thoughtful Republicans is that Rice has failed to manage that endeavor.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/11/state-department-a-mess-under-rice/

[NewJeffCT]

1. More of that liberal media bias, i see

Bob Novak - a card carrying member of the liberal media.

:sarcasm:

But, it is good to see somebody acknowledging what most here on DU have known since she took over.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. LOL! ! ! !

An attorney who left State to come work in the Chicago area spent 1.5 years under her control.
Autocratic, indecisive, extremely fragile, reactive, not very bright, and shallow. And he was being nice

[NewJeffCT]

11. a fragile & shallow Republican

What a shock. How unlike most Republicans.

(I guess I'm in a sarcastic mood today)

[janx]

2. Rice was not expected to manage that endeavor.

Rice is a PR mouthpiece for the president, just as she was in her last position. "The president thinks..." "The president believes..." "The president has said..."

I am hard pressed to recall even one instance in which Rice has spoken for herself.

[TornadoTN]

3. That's exactly why she's there

They don't want someone that can actually be a diplomat. They just want a mouthpiece that will trumpet the line.

[NewJeffCT]

10. and, if people on our side criticize her...

The Republicans and/or their media allies will be the first to cry racism and/or sexism.

[rfranklin]

4. Could be the beginning of a move to dump her...

in favor of Negroponte. Novak is often used to start the ball rolling on hatchet jobs and other White House projects.

[malaise]

5. Bingo n/t

[CornField]

6. Is that why a Democratic Governor had to broker a peace deal?

From Reuters:
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-01-10T171704Z_01_MCD053690_RTRUKOC_0_US-SUDAN-DARFUR-CEASEFIRE.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C5-worldNews-2

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's government and Darfur rebels have agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and a peace summit sponsored by the African Union and the United Nations as steps toward stopping the violence in west Sudan, a visiting U.S. official said on Wednesday.

...

"President (Omar Hassan al-)Bashir agreed to the start of a peace process that includes a 60-day cessation of hostilities," said U.S. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, visiting Sudan. The AU-U.N. peace summit is to be held no later than March 15.

Richardson said rebel commanders he had met in Darfur had also agreed to the ceasefire, which would begin on a date to be set by the United Nations and the African Union, which are jointly mediating Darfur peace efforts.

A joint statement by the Sudanese government and Richardson also said Sudan would not use military aircraft painted in white colors, usually reserved for humanitarians, and that Darfur rebel commanders could safely call a conference in the field monitored by the United Nations and the AU.

[YOY]

8. I took the FSO test last November

They have reformatted the test under Condi...not made it any easier or even more logical to get the right candidates in the door mind you, just reformatted it to present the 'values' that allow a State Department Foreign Service Officer to succeed.

There was much clamoring to change the test to better reflect the chance to get the right candidates in the door and keep them in the State Department. They failed utterly to make the change reflective of the need. They still get people who go in for four years and jump right back into another job...

I thought it ironic that many of the values they demand that the candidate parrot back are completely lacked by Dr. Rice.

[lovuian]

9. Novak will be yelling negroponte Negroponte

Cheney uses them up and spits them out

Rice is definitely on her way out