Futures in Balance as Rice Prepares to Testify [She Lacks 'Strategic Vision' -Reuters]

Reuters ^ | 4-06-04 | Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent

[johnny7]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Condoleezza Rice will be defending two futures when she makes an eagerly awaited appearance before the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks on Thursday -- President Bush's and her own.

The nation's first black female national security adviser is widely presumed to be a leading candidate for secretary of state if there is a second Bush term. How she performs under intense public scrutiny into the Bush administration's handling of the pre-eminent 21st century U.S. national security threat will affect her credibility as well as that of Bush, who is running for re-election against the presumed Democratic nominee John Kerry. Despite indications that Rice, 49, might return to California after a pressure-cooker initial four-year Bush term, Republican insiders said the secretary of state's job in a second term is hers if she wants it.

After a relatively unscathed first three years as Bush's closest foreign policy aide, Rice became the focus of controversy two weeks ago when former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke accused her of failing to focus on al Qaeda in the run-up to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Had it not been reversed, Rice's initial refusal to testify publicly before the commission, after repeated television appearances, would have undercut her ability to win Senate confirmation as secretary of state, Republican sources said. "Her future is tied to how well she does in front of the commission and I think if she wants to be the next secretary of state and does well, then it's hers if that's what she and the president want," said Gary Schmitt, a prominent Republican analyst.

MAJOR POWER FOCUS

Rice's academic background makes it trickier to defend against Clarke's charges, which could pack even more political wallop if, as the independent commission's chairmen indicated, the panel finds the devastating attacks probably could have been prevented. A Russian scholar who helped manage the Soviet Union's fall on the National Security Council staff of Bush's father, Rice assumed the top national security adviser position focusing more on big power ties with Russia and China and on deploying national missile defenses. Terrorism and al Qaeda merited no mention in her January 2000 Foreign Affairs article outlining a foreign policy strategy for the next president and received little if any attention in other speeches and writings before the attacks took place, changing the course of U.S. history.

Rice was the only child of a black preacher and his wife who lived in segregated Birmingham, Alabama, in the 1960s and taught their daughter to aim high and approach life with dignity. She enrolled at the University of Denver at age 15 and graduated four years later with honors. She became an accomplished concert pianist but pursued her career in international affairs. Between White House jobs, she served in the 1990s as provost of Stanford University. Her personal relationship with Bush is the closest of any foreign policy aide. Rice, who is single, often accompanies Bush and his wife, Laura, to Camp David on weekends. Rice has described her job as "translating the president's instincts into policy," a collaboration that produced the Iraq war and the pre-emption doctrine, under which Bush asserts that the United States should anticipate and act against threats before it is attacked. She is widely regarded as smart, articulate and self-confident.

But Rice is often faulted for lacking strategic vision as well as the gravitas to force competing administration giants with often conflicting viewpoints, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to make decisions on major issues like North Korea. Some analysts see weakness in Bush and Rice's early decision to have the National Security Council play a more low-key role than in previous administrations. Only over time did they retool the formula to have the White House impose more discipline on policymaking.

Bush partisans like defense expert Richard Perle say Rice would make a very good secretary of state. But others say running the State Department is a lot bigger management job than the relatively small National Security Council, which has one client -- the president -- and may not play to her strengths. Insiders expect Rice would be more hard-line on issues than the current officeholder, Powell. Some analysts also wonder if Rice, who has complained in the past about all-consuming jobs, may not be ready to leave Washington. She has expressed interest in becoming national football commissioner and been rumored to be interested in running for Senate or governor in California.

[johnny7]

Check out these references to her;
...often faulted for lacking strategic vision as well as the gravitas... more discipline on policymaking... Some analysts see weakness... and may not play to her strengths... Rice, who has complained in the past about all-consuming jobs...

Somehow I get the feeling they would have thrown in 'shiftless and lazy' if they coulda' got away with it.

[MNJohnnie]

Of course, it Reuters, hardly a credible NEWS source but an excellent source for leftist propaganda.

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[Recovering_Democrat]

Somehow, I have the feeling Reuters, NewsWEAK, et al. already have their stories written regarding Condi's testimony, and they're just waiting to insert the quotes or innuendo from the Democrat Party Operatives on the Commission.

[mewzilla]

This is pretty bad, even for Rooters.

[My2Cents]

Let's fight using the left's tactics: "REUTERS IS CRITICIZING RICE BECAUSE SHE'S BLACK!"

[theDentist]

No matter how she testifies, the media will describe her responses as "tepid, weak, confused, disaster, etc". They cannot afford to have her hit a homer!

[RightWhale]

Rice's initial refusal to testify

She decided to testify. She knows, as a performer, that her demeanor counts as much as what she says. She is ready.

[Wonder Warthog]

"But others say running the State Department is a lot bigger management job than the relatively small National Security Council, which has one client -- the president -- and may not play to her strengths. Insiders expect Rice would be more hard-line on issues than the current officeholder, Powell."

Well, I would say that her time as Provost of Stanford gives her the necessary management credentials to ride herd on the pack of pseudo-academic prima-donnas at the State Department.

[MNJohnnie]

"Rice's initial refusal to testify"

She decided to testify. She knows, as a performer, that her demeanor counts as much as what she says. She is ready.

Journalist Misconduct. Rice didn't refuse to testify, she was directed by President Bush that she was NOT ALLOWED to testify since it would create a precident of Presidential Advisors being subject to Congressional oversite. Once the 9-11 Comission agreed, in writing, that this was NOT a precedent setting event but was needed due to the extrodinary events of 9-11, Bush allowed Rice to testify.

So once again we see how the Leftist Press is not a credible source of News.

[kenth]

Bush partisans like defense expert Richard Perle say Rice would make a very good secretary of state. But others say running the State Department is a lot bigger management job than the relatively small National Security Council, which has one client -- the president -- and may not play to her strengths.

Others say? What others? They can name Richard Perle but they can't name the 'others' who are against her? I suppose it's a veritable mass of others. Many, many others say she can't handle the State Department.

More likely they know she can handle it and would hate to see her clean house at State.

[Shermy]

Of course, it Reuters, hardly a credible NEWS source but an excellent source for leftist propaganda.

The source probably is a talking-points fact sheet faxed to this reporter from the Kerry campaign.

[skinkinthegrass]

..and they're just waiting to insert the quotes or innuendo from the Democrat Party Operatives on the Commission.

Why "insert the quotes or innuendo" ?...There IS NO REAL line (of separation) between ABCNNBC_BS, Reuters, Neweak or any other "so-called" News Organizations with the DNCs' "Talking Points".

..even the FNC..plays the liberal "talking points", but they @ least tries to illuminate the falsehoods/misinformation. :((

[3AngelaD]

I did a quick Google on this reporter. She has full-blown leftie-liberal credentials and spent the last year at -- get this -- the U.S. Institute for Peace, run by the anti-American who runs the (left-leaning, blame-America-first) foreign service program at Georgetown. I think taxpayers paid for her sabbatical.

[syriacus]

But Rice is often faulted for lacking strategic vision as well as the gravitas

Rice is lacking gravitas?!?

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

The lefty spokespersons are so nasty that they don't realize they are making themselves look stupid to the voters.

[lorrainer]

Rice is lacking gravitas?!?

I don't think so, either...

[Savage Beast]

"...taught their daughter to aim high and approach life with dignity"

She certainly learned that lesson well.

"But Rice is often faulted for lacking strategic vision as well as...gravitas..."

Where have we heard that before? Democrats are so predictable.

[Libloather]

She enrolled at the University of Denver at age 15 and graduated four years later with honors. She is widely regarded as smart, articulate and self-confident.

She's a doctor, yet Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent for Reuters, fails to mention this or use the term just once.

A caller on today's talk radio mentioned this. I tried a FR search and sure enough, the first few stories never call her Dr. Rice. The only thing worse is when the lefties call her Condee - kinda like calling Howard Dean - "Howie"...

[Libloather]

Oh, and I hope she opens one giant can of 'shock and awe' in front of this commission...

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

Hey........they have to do something to try to defend themselves. They know that Condi can and will likely chew up the idiots on that committee and spit them out.

Not one of them can hold a candle to her intelligence, ability, background, or class and with what few brains they may still have, they know it.