Posted on 08/11/2006 12:53:44 PM PDT by 2dogjoe
Rice is in way over her head Friday, August 11, 2006
By HELEN THOMAS HEARST NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON -- 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 Bush to oppose any immediate cease-fire, which was hardly the proper policy by the United States 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 has taken 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. Rice's 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 in the Middle East 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 cease-fire 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 says 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 on 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 the U.S. 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 Iraq 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.
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Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers. E-mail: helent@hearstdc.com. Copyright 2006 Hearst Newspapers.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
I'm sorry, all I read was "blah blah blah blah..."
What masochist decided to post the senile rantings of this old broad?
Oh, was it you, dogjoe?
IBHTP
Corrected version:
There, that's better.
No one cares what Helen says
Do we HAVE to read the article before we post? /whining
"Helen Thomas' Head is 'way too far up her ass'."
If only Helen Thomas were Sec'y of State the world would be all rosy. Or totally on fire in many shades of red.
Wish Helen had a bag over hers.
As long as there aren't any pics, we will all be OK.
Let's just stay very calm everyone and look away from Medusas article.
Groan... Why is this woman 109 years old? I thought the devil always double-crossed you when you sold your soul to him.
I didn't read it. Did the old bitch call the Secretary of State a "house nigger"? Or was that harry belafonte who said that?
She'd better up her Alzheimer's medication.
And halfbright wasn't?
Pit bull from HELLen .
The Lenanese reporter, Hezbollah Helen, knows more than the PhD! That sounds about par for the leftist media.
How did he make General?
Hezbeen Helenola (as in 'has been)
That old Arab again? Is she embalmed?
Geez, over 20 posts and no pix...too much real news going on today apparently.
"....Bush refused -- apparently to accommodate the wishes of the Israeli leaders who wanted more time to rough up Hezbollah."
For goodness sake, let's don't go roughing up the TERRORISTS!!!
>>>I'm sorry, all I read was "blah blah blah blah..."
I"m sorry, all I read was "surrender... Jimmy Carter... rabbit... surrender... talk to my Democrat loser friends... Israeli's shouldn't defend themselves... surrender, or you'll make them mad..."
When she was in the WH press briefings, I always half expected her to break out into the standard female ARAB mourner chant ------leeee leeee leeee leeee laaaaaaa laaaaa laaaaa
Bigfoot has been sighted and nobody on FR started a thread....Im disappointed
If Helen "Bow-wow" Thomas is complaining about Condi - that's just one more plus for her.
Cease Fire? We don't want no steeeeenkin' Cease Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like Crazy Aunt Helen thinks Israel should just handle terrorism it had been handling it...you know, back when it was just a nuisance.
Right, John Kerry?
This is something like what we would be living through with ol' Frankenstein as president. An "Acceptable" level of terrorism, a level where it is just a nuisance. A bomb here, suicide belt there, shootings once in a while...nothing *THAT BAD* that we need to go to war against anyone. Just little pinpricks to slowly bleed you dry.
Only when arabs start dying does the world think attacks mean something. When it is jews dying they issue bland, meaningless platitudes and do nothing.
Yes, if Crazy Aunt Helen had her way that next subway ride could be your last, or maybe you would go to get some pizza and not come back. That would be an accepable nuisance. Unless it happened to or near her, of course. Then it would be the end of the world.
Ahh yes, Helen Thomas, the female Baghdad Bob of the Israeli-Hezbollah War. The kicker is that Baghdad Bob was better looking and better informed.
And your Phd is from where , Helen?..........
Helen Thomas is a joke. But I do think Bolton has accomplish way more than Rice.
Who would know how to do it better; Warren Christopher? After all, he brokered such a lasting peace deal in the Middle East. /sarc
I almost didn't click on this as I just couldn't stomach seeing a pic of this monster this late in the day. Whew got lucky and am out before the sadists start putting pictures up.
And oh by the way, I agree with you. If Godzilla Helen doesn't like Condi then its a plus.
The affairs of state for this administration are a 'team effort' Whatever one accomplishes, we all accomplish...
I think most posters feel that yesterday's news was a big enough shock for one week.
A photo of Helen Thomas would be just too much to take.
Helen Thomas is way past her expiration date. Surely some recycling is in order.
She clearly misses of chooses to ignore the US's goal. Keep the UN and France appropriate occupied while Israel gets the job done.
It should be obvious that none of the countries working so hard to formulate a cease fire argreement are actually the combatants. Duh--if the combatants don't like it France can marrry it and it still will won't matter.
"It will be a long time before the U.S. 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."
WTH? What planet does this "woman" live on. What reverence could she possibly be talking about. So incredibly ignorant.
Wow Gaff, that is downright creepy. I can picture her actually doing that, if indeed she is still alive--I have my doubts that she isn't one of the walking dead.
Guess that I must have been absent that day when Brent Scowcroft solved the Middle East's crises...
Rice gives simple answers because the answers ARE simple: As GWB said, all the Syrians need to do is tell Hezbollah to stop doing this s***.
Of course, whenever anyone disagrees with a member of the leftist media establishment, that person is considered "in over her head".
Yes, Helen, the days of the Carter/Clinton "diplomacy" (i.e. rolling over for the Arab masters) and the Baker/Scowcraft country club Arab butt-kissers are over.
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