I suspect that Condoleezza Rice, first as National Security Advisor and then as Secretary of State, will be judged harshly, not just now, but by history. Loyalty is not the primary quality one needs to work close to the center of power. Fawning loyalty, as we watched coming from Rice, is very dangerous.
In the New York Times Magazine this weekend, there is a redacted and edited interview with her. It's hard to read and not judge her harshly. Right up front, her spin, her delusions are thrust right into the reader's consciousness, eliciting memories that paint a very different picture.
"WHAT THE ELECTION THAT HE [Barack Obama] WON MEANS.
I’ve heard people commenting on how in this election, in far places, people talk about what is a caucus and how does that differ from a primary. I think that links up with the fact that the United States under this president has been more active and more insistent that democracy is not just something for a few. People are watching, and I think they’re trying to learn from democratic experience.
When people from around the world think about the Bush administration, the first word that jumps into their minds is not "democracy."
Here is a link so you can read it yourself. In fairness, I wonder whether any of us could withstand the pressure of being so close to the "ring." Even Frodo almost succumbed.
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2 comments:
Actually, Rice's training as a historian gives her a perspective that you don't have. In twenty years, after the fascist regime in Iran has passed into history, it will be judged that it was Bush's campaign in Iraq that gave the first shove.
After he is gone, he will be judged as this era's Truman. You don't see this, but I expect this from Democratic partisans. Truman left with a 25% approval rating, an inconclusive war in Korea, China having collapsed to communism, and Stalin's Russia seemingly on the march.
You will know just how good a President Bush has been and how good a Secretary of State Rice has been by the extent to which Obama follows their policies. Watch what Obama does, not what he says.
Fantasies from Condi, fantasies from commenters to this thoughtful post by Ascension at the Stove.
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