Rice still struggling for success after two years as top US diplomat

Condoleezza Rice wraps up her first two years as secretary of state with few diplomatic successes to show for her efforts and fewer signs she plans to change course to improve the record.

And yet, as Rice heads into 2007, the 52-year-old former academic should be at the top of her game for the last two years of President George W. Bush’s administration.

She has seen off her longtime rival for Bush’s ear, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

And the Bush administration is under pressure from all sides to use more diplomacy and less bluster in its foreign policy, a shift which should place Rice at the epicenter of decision-making.

With luck (for us), she can overcome her boss’ limitations and policies and do some real good. On the other hand…

“Great secretaries of state have compelling views of the world and/or are effective negotiators — Secretary Rice has so far demonstrated neither,” said Aaron Miller, who advised six secretaries of state before joining the Woodrow Wilson Center think tank in Washington.



  1. Thomas says:

    Beyond the fact that it is an op-ed, it should be noted that the source is the AFP and thus the opinion should be taken with a grain of salt.

  2. Miguel Correia says:

    What’s wrong with the AFP?

  3. So lets review her credentials.

    She meets with countries that are breaking international laws.

    She leaves those meetings.

    Nothing changes.

    Yep just as qualified as our last president.

  4. Roc Rizzo says:

    I wouldn’t vote for her for sewer cleaner!

  5. PMitchell says:

    #3 lets compare her to Madeleine Albright who brought us the “I think we can deal with this man ” from a now nuclear north korea , and the Somalia cluster F#&#@. she was a great secretary of state wasn’t she

    Mrs Rice I think would make a great president .She is a very knowledgeable person with the persuasive power to follow through with her threats to the countries who wish us harm.

  6. Jägermeister says:

    Great secretaries of state have compelling views of the world and/or are effective negotiators.

    Sounds like a description of Colin Powell… the only Republican I know of (and truly respect) who can rebuild America’s reputation with the rest of the world once Bush is gone. But he doesn’t want to become the President, so there goes the chances for the Republicans.

  7. Curmudgen says:

    Who is Condoleezza Rice???

  8. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    Remember When Condie Was Seriously Talked About As A Potential Prez Candidate?

    No.

  9. Tom 2 says:

    Seriously I don’t think she was ever considered, at least rationally, it was some story which was made up and circulated by her lover, Soledad O’Brien.

  10. Milo says:

    She’s never been elected anything.

  11. mxpwr03 says:

    . This article is good at pointing out what other nation-states are doing that are not compliant with international norms, and associates these failures with Ms. Rice. N. Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, and Palestine all do what is in their best interest and most of the time this conflicts with international opinion. N. Korea can be dealt with and Ms. Rice has brought together 5 other nations to deal with the problem. Iran faces the quintet when international summits are held on their account. Both countries have faced international pressure, due to successful consensus building, and I thank Ms. Rice for that. I don’t see how this story can blame the escalated situation in Somalia as a fault of Ms. Rice. The Road Map for Peace continues to be objective of Ms. Rice, and if she succeeds than she will have accomplished the unthinkable, if not than see was as good as Mrs. Albright in this arena. Oh and for the RNC primaries Condi will be my write-in candidate.

  12. sdf says:

    I’d sooner vote for Colin Powell’s bollucks

  13. Thomas says:

    #2
    The AFP is a French based news outlet. Thus, it should come as no surprise to see a disparaging article about a Bush administration official from a French source. It would be about as surprising as seeing it in the Village Voice.

  14. rctaylor says:

    Most of the praise and accolades seem to come from Rices own camp. Perhaps shes good at promoting herself, but then what?

  15. OhForTheLoveOf says:

    #13 – The AFP is a French based news outlet. Thus, it should come as no surprise to see a disparaging article about a Bush administration official from a French source. It would be about as surprising as seeing it in the Village Voice.

    Frankly, given all that we know about the Bush administration, if disparaging reports only come from liberal sources, all that really tells us is that the conservative sources are written by either idiots or liars.

  16. Thomas says:

    #15
    Frankly, we really don’t know all about the Bush administration (could be worse, could be better) and certainly a liberal media source does not. So, buying into a source that critiques a competing political party really says something about the reader more than it does about the story.

  17. John Henri Allyn says:

    #5 Albright was an idiot too. But she never ran for president. Doesn’t make Condi Rice better.

    I love how your best justification is “But Albright was worse!” Followed by generalizations.

    Give me an example of her doing her job.

  18. OmarTheAlien says:

    Mz. Rice has emphatically denied, time and time again, that she would ever seek the presidency. She has a smallish quasi-cult following, and these people routinely make these fanciful proposals, giving rise to all the anti-Rice for president static.
    Aside from all that, she is cute, and I’d spend quality time with her, if she was so inclined.

  19. Mr. Fusion says:

    #16,

    That is pure nonsense. A person’s political opinion does not obviate the fact that Bush is an idiot and Rice is very musically inclined. Bush, and by association Rice, have very little success to show in international relations. Their failures, on the other hand, are legion.

    Those are facts, political opinion will only effect the spin put on them by the conservative idiots.

    AFP is a reputable news source.


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