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Condoleezza Rice fires back at ‘grumpy’ Donald Rumsfeld
Yahoo ^ | 4/28/11 | Rachel Rose Hartman - The Ticket

Posted on 04/28/2011 9:01:38 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

There's no love lost between former colleagues Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld.

In a question and answer session for the New York Times Magazine, former Secretary of State Rice is breaking her silence about the criticisms former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld made about her in his new book, "Known and Unknown."

Rice was asked to comment on Rumsfeld's assertion that she "almost never wanted" to dissent with President George W. Bush. She replied about Rumsfeld: "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I don't think he was ever in the room with the president and me when I would follow the president from a national-security meeting and tell him precisely what was going on in that room. We tended to do it privately."

As for the personal digs Rumsfeld made against Rice--that she was basically unfit for office--Rice decided to get personal in return.

First of all, I didn't have modest experience in management. Managing Stanford University is not so easy. But I don't know what Don was trying to say, and it really doesn't matter. Don can be a grumpy guy. We all know that.

...

Rice was also asked to address her rumored habit of never admitting mistakes. And true to form, she failed to name one during the Q&A.

Rice isn't the first cabinet member to be targeted by Rumsfeld.

In February of this year, Rumsfeld accused Bush's first Secretary of State, Colin Powell of doing a shoddy job handling the war in Iraq.

Powell "did not, in my view, do a good job of managing the people under him," Rumsfeld told ABC News' Diane Sawyer. "There was a lot of leaking out of the State Department, and the president knew it. ... And it was unhelpful. ..

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: condi; condoleezzarice; donaldrumsfeld; firesback; grumpy; rummy

1 posted on 04/28/2011 9:01:42 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

I go with Rumsfeld on this one. Both Bush and Rice were barely moderate in governance and there sat Don Rumsfeld lodged between alpha males and Condoleeza Rice, and him with “old school” conservative written across his forehead.
Yes he was an odd duck among the nylon generation.


2 posted on 04/28/2011 9:10:58 PM PDT by RitaOK
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To: NormsRevenge
Grumppy was wrong on Rice and right on Powell. In business you can't get rich batting 0.500!

Regards,
GtG

3 posted on 04/28/2011 9:14:42 PM PDT by Gandalf_The_Gray (I live in my own little world, I like it 'cuz they know me here.)
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To: NormsRevenge

Rice and Rumsfeld should realize they appeared as statesmen during Obama’s meltdown. Now they want to get on the world stage and show out with the New York Times of all places.


4 posted on 04/28/2011 9:24:09 PM PDT by swheats
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To: NormsRevenge

I had a higher opinion of her. Musicians tend to be opinionated though.


5 posted on 04/28/2011 9:28:24 PM PDT by allmost
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To: NormsRevenge

I’m reading Rumsfeld’s book now, almost finished. I highly recommend it.

If I had to pick between Rice, Powell and Rumsfeld to take on a difficult task, I’d take Rummy every time.


6 posted on 04/28/2011 9:30:23 PM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: Gandalf_The_Gray

Now Rice chimes in . When any man scares the hell out of the right and the left establishment , he is doing something right . The piggies are squealing .


7 posted on 04/28/2011 9:41:11 PM PDT by fantom (,)
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To: All; NormsRevenge
I'd prefer Condi Rice to Susan Rice any day.

Rummy was great with quips putting the press in its place but he obviously had the wrong strategy on Iraq.

8 posted on 04/28/2011 10:09:36 PM PDT by newzjunkey (Obama is a phony.)
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To: NormsRevenge
As for the personal digs Rumsfeld made against Rice--that she was basically unfit for office--Rice decided to get personal in return.

I'm just about finished reading Known and Unknown. The SecDef never made such a claim in his book that Rice was unfit for office. What comments he did make about Rice, IMHO, are hardly "digs" at her on a personal level.

9 posted on 04/28/2011 10:17:16 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier currently deployed in the Valley of Death, Afghanistan)
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To: newzjunkey

Actually, based on the information in his book, Rumsfeld’s “strategy” on Iraq, was based upon what the commanders on the ground were telling him they needed. It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback, especially after this long of period of time has elapsed.


10 posted on 04/28/2011 10:20:25 PM PDT by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier currently deployed in the Valley of Death, Afghanistan)
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To: smoothsailing

Given Rumsfeld’s track record in Afghanistan and Iraq, I’d suspect our enemies would pick Rumsfeld as well.


11 posted on 04/28/2011 10:25:08 PM PDT by Hoplite
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To: Hoplite

What?


12 posted on 04/28/2011 11:34:31 PM PDT by widdle_wabbit
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To: smoothsailing
If I had to pick between Rice, Powell and Rumsfeld to take on a difficult task, I’d take Rummy every time.

Read his book too, and I agree wholeheartedly.

13 posted on 04/29/2011 2:26:02 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: newzjunkey
I'd prefer Condi Rice to Susan Rice any day.

Death by cyanide or by rat poison is still death.
14 posted on 04/29/2011 4:00:31 AM PDT by Tzfat
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To: Hoplite
Photobucket
15 posted on 04/29/2011 7:34:37 AM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: fantom
When any man scares the hell out of the right and the left establishment , he is doing something right.

Yeah, and sometimes a "grumpy" guy is just grumpy. Don't get me wrong, in general I like Don Rumsfeld and he did a good job for GW. But I guess the question is just what has he done for us lately besides carping about petty bitches from his days in GW's cabinet?

Regards,
GtG

16 posted on 04/29/2011 2:34:55 PM PDT by Gandalf_The_Gray (I live in my own little world, I like it 'cuz they know me here.)
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To: widdle_wabbit
The best thing that can be said about his tenure is that his mismanagement wasn't fatal to our efforts in Iraq, and appears to be reversible in Afghanistan.

The man was an abject failure of a wartime SecDef - how he gets a pass for enabling OBL's escape from Tora Bora in '01 is beyond me. I can only attribute it to ignorance or stupidity.

17 posted on 04/29/2011 5:26:40 PM PDT by Hoplite
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To: allmost
Musicians tend to be opinionated though.

Amen!

18 posted on 04/29/2011 5:34:27 PM PDT by aposiopetic
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To: aposiopetic

It doesn’t make her right. It does partially explain her opinion. Hate to call her a bigot, but the shoe fits.


19 posted on 04/29/2011 5:45:39 PM PDT by allmost
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