home

She Said It

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Other Politics
Posted on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:30:13 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Via DougJ, I present Condi Rice on the "greatest moment in American history:"

“President Bush had at Ground Zero probably the most important moment maybe in American history. It was when this wounded nation watched their commander-in-chief stand on that rubble and say that they will hear us, we are going to avenge this.”

(Emphasis supplied.) Words fail.

< White House Briefing: Osama bin Laden Not Armed | John Brennan's Oopsies: What Are They Hidng? >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    She Said It | 50 comments (50 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    All i have to say is: (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:41:59 PM EST
    !@#$%&*(%

    These people gave us 8 yrs of he[[ (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by shoephone on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:53:09 PM EST
    Seems that wasn't enough for them. They will never go away.

    Hey Condi: What Ga6thDem said. A thousand-fold!

    Unfortunately (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by mmc9431 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:04:38 PM EST
    America had the worst president ever in the WH at this "the most important moment maybe in American history".

    GWB took an angry and wounded nation and misdirected this anger for his own political agenda.

    He had visions of being the great liberator of the Middle East and a future on Mount Rushmore.

    Instead he's mired us in two wars that have eroded our Constitution, diminished our international standing and bankrupted the nation.

    Mission Accomplished George.

    the irony is (none / 0) (#27)
    by desmoinesdem on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:34:10 PM EST
    if he had not grossly overplayed his hand and used the moment to advance a slightly less repugnant GOP agenda, he probably would have realigned politics in this country.

    Parent
    She always was a sort of embarrassment (5.00 / 3) (#12)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:23:56 PM EST
    Might as well graduate from the branding of that fact into my scarred mind, and jackhammer it into granite.

    There were no great accomplishments for the administration that she served and believed in....only widespread destruction.  Her only hope as the history is documented is to steal someones elses achievements and try to get away with it.

    Shame on you! (none / 0) (#17)
    by mmc9431 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 05:02:27 PM EST
    MT I would have thought you would have known by now. Anything that happens on a positive note, the Republicans will take credit. Anything wrong is the fault of Democrats. Facts aren't allowed to get in the way.

    9-11 happened under GWB but it was Clinton's fault. The great economy of the 90's was Reagan's success not Clintons.

    Parent

    Actually I have always felt 9/11 was (none / 0) (#33)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue May 03, 2011 at 09:04:48 PM EST
    Osama bin Ladin's fault.

    REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, will the end of the United States' presence in Saudi Arabia, their withdrawal, will that end your call for jihad against the United States and against the US ?

    BIN LADIN: The cause of the reaction must be sought and the act that has triggered this reaction must be eliminated. The reaction came as a result of the US aggressive policy towards the entire Muslim world and not just towards the Arabian peninsula. So if the cause that has called for this act comes to an end, this act, in turn, will come to an end. So, the driving-away jihad against the US does not stop with its withdrawal from the Arabian peninsula, but rather it must desist from aggressive intervention against Muslims in the whole world.

    Peter Arnett


    Parent

    Stealing someone elses achievement... (none / 0) (#18)
    by hairspray on Tue May 03, 2011 at 05:09:55 PM EST
    That is so common in the business world.

    Parent
    I always thought the most important moment (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by tigercourse on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:32:04 PM EST
    was beating the USSR in Hockey at the Olympics.

    But wait! (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Zorba on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:12:09 PM EST
    Did the "Miracle on Ice" erase the 1972 controversial Men's Basketball loss to the USSR in 1972 at the Munich Olympics????  Inquiring minds want to know.    ;-)

    Parent
    Fact (none / 0) (#16)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:58:53 PM EST


    Parent
    Even out of office (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by cal1942 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 05:44:37 PM EST
    the Bush crowd manages to smell up the place.

    Cynical scum without any shred of common decency, morals, integrity, etc., etc.

    OMG (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by cal1942 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 05:50:58 PM EST
    I just read the Rice comments at Balloon Juice.

    I gave her an F in 8th grade US History.

    How in hell did this woman ever get a PhD?  Still worse; what institution gave her a PhD?

    University of Denver. (none / 0) (#24)
    by jeffinalabama on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:13:46 PM EST


    Parent
    I was thinking about you today (none / 0) (#31)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 03, 2011 at 08:38:08 PM EST
    listening to someone discuss SEALs vs. Rangers in Afghanistan today.  You would have died laughing

    Parent
    Wow, did she get some (none / 0) (#48)
    by observed on Wed May 04, 2011 at 09:57:23 AM EST
    "Protein Wisdom" there?
    It turns out I have an inlaw's sibling who taught mr. PW in the past. She was NOT happy when I asked about him, once.


    Parent
    University of Denver, (none / 0) (#25)
    by Zorba on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:19:35 PM EST
    Josef Korbel School of International Studies (named after Madeleine Albright's father, BTW).  I'm not so upset at that as I am at the fact that Stanford allowed her to return after her time with the Bush administration.  She's a professor of political science and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution there.  Shame on Stanford.  

    Parent
    And Cal Berkley (none / 0) (#41)
    by cal1942 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 10:40:28 PM EST
    hired John Yoo after his stint with the Bush administration.

    Shame indeed.

    Parent

    Condi has always, always (none / 0) (#49)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:23:05 PM EST
    been thoroughly mediocre.

    I first saw her pre-Bush as a "Russia scholar" on Nightline repeatedly during the Gorbachev era, and I was thrilled to see an attractive black woman "Russia expert" instead of all those grumpy aging pasty white guys from academia.  So I listened eagerly and rooted for her to dazzle.... and she didn't.  She had absolutely nothing to say other than the standard Kremlin watcher canon they all spouted, not a single interesting insight or perspective.


    Parent

    I guess Condi's love for her (5.00 / 5) (#22)
    by Anne on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:09:38 PM EST
    husb..I mean, president, still burns brightly...

    I mean, what else could explain the fawning ridiculousness of that comment?

    Seriously, to this day, I still do not understand why Ms. No-one-could-have anticipated-planes-being-flown-into-buildings Rice did not resign in abject shame after the "bin Laden Determined to Strike in US" intel was revealed in the PDB Bush got while on vacation just 4 weeks before 9/11.

    So, to now claim that Bush's Ground Zero appearance was the most important moment in American history means she either thinks we have all been zapped by the "Men in Black" mind eraser, she is blindly in love with someone who personifies small-minded arrogance, or she actually believes in what she says.

    Why anyone would seek out her opinion, why anyone would think her opinion worth sharing with the world, is just totally beyond my ability to comprehend.

    As bad as she was in government service, let's just hope she never gets her "dream job:" commissioner of the National Football League.

    Ugh.

    Actually Rice and Bush knew about (none / 0) (#34)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue May 03, 2011 at 09:11:27 PM EST
    about the pending attack and warned the approiate agencies 31 days before the PDB.

    "At the special meeting on July 5 were the FBI, Secret Service, FAA, Customs, Coast Guard, and Immigration. We told them that we thought a spectacular al Qaeda terrorist attack was coming in the near future." That had been had been George Tenet's language. "We asked that they take special measures to increase security and surveillance. Thus, the White House did ensure that domestic law enforcement including the FAA knew that the CSG believed that a major al Qaeda attack was coming, and it could be in the U.S., and did ask that special measures be taken."

    link

    Parent

    And you know this because ... (5.00 / 3) (#38)
    by Yman on Tue May 03, 2011 at 10:02:27 PM EST
    ... of a self-serving statement Rice made on Fox News that you've posted a buzillion times already.  

    Let's see what the 9-11 Commission said about that July 5 meeting:

    This lack of direction was evident in the July 5 meeting with representatives from the domestic agencies. The briefing focused on overseas threats. The domestic agencies were not questioned about how they planned to address the threat and were not told what was expected of them. Indeed, as noted earlier, they were specifically told they could not issue advisories based on the briefing. The domestic agencies' limited response indicates that they did not perceive a call to action.
    ...

    A second cause of this disparity in response is that domestic agencies did not know what to do, and no one gave them direction. Cressey told us that the CSG did not tell the agencies how to respond to the threats. He noted that the agencies that were operating overseas did not need direction on how to respond; they had experience with such threats and had a "playbook." In contrast, the domestic agencies did not have a game plan. Neither the NSC (including the CSG) nor anyone else instructed them to create one.

    So Condi says we warned the agencies and it was up to them to take action, despite the fact that:

    1.  The July 5 meeting focused on overseas threats.

    2.  The domestic agencies had no "playbook" to deal with these threats and were given no instructions to come up with one.

    3.  The attendees were specifically instructed they couldn't disseminate the information they were given at the meeting?

    But hey, Condi goes on FNC to claim that she and Bush did their job, so ...

    ... it must be true.

    Parent

    If you choose to not believe (none / 0) (#45)
    by jimakaPPJ on Wed May 04, 2011 at 07:12:32 AM EST
    there is not much that can be added.

    I will note that Immigration, FAA, Coast Guard had very little focus "overseas."

    As for such claims as no "playbook," I thought the FBI and other agencies had the job of making a play book. That would include preparing their agencies without telling them why or where the info came from.

    If you want to argue that the agencies didn't do their job, even though they were warned, I would agree. That Bush didn't do some wholesale firings after 9/11 was wrong in my opinion.

    Fact is Bush gave what information they had. The infamous PDB added nothing and Bush rightfully noted that.

    The 9/11 Commission is interesting but should be seen for what it was. A world class CYA effort.

    'Nuff said. I'm done.

    Parent

    As someone who worked in (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by Harry Saxon on Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:11:17 AM EST
    telecommunications, PPJ, I'm sure you have more experience in CYA than anyone else around here.

    Seriously, the 9/11 Commission was a CYA operation?

    Thanks for the laughs this early in the morning.

    Parent

    If you "choose to believe" ... (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by Yman on Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:55:49 AM EST
    ... a self-serving, CYA statement by Rice given on FNC with no follow-up or confrontation with conflicting evidence, there's an obvious reason.  You want to believe it's true so therefore it must be true.

    As for such claims as no "playbook," I thought the FBI and other agencies had the job of making a play book. That would include preparing their agencies without telling them why or where the info came from.

    The FBI (and other agencies) job is also to follow orders.  Rice, Bush and the NCS, however, didn't even give them orders to come up with a plan at the July 5 meeting because, while they mentioned it was possible that there would be an attack in the US, their entire focus of the meeting was on overseas attacks.  The mention of the possibility of an attack on US soil was cursory.  Moreover, the agencies weren't merely prohibited from discussing the "why or where the info came from", as you claim.  They were prohibited from discussing even the very vague substance of the information they were given.  What were they supposed to do if they weren't even permitted to get the information they had out to their colleagues around the country?

    But if you post the same FNC/Rice interview link for the hundredth time, maybe someone will be convinced...

    ... unless they know the actual facts of the July 5 meeting.

    Parent

    omg (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by The Addams Family on Tue May 03, 2011 at 08:57:16 PM EST
    that comment from Condoleezza Rice makes me nostaligic for the days, just a few years ago, when you could ask people who they wanted for president in 2008 and they would say "the Democrat."

    Right, another Bush Jr admin (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by brodie on Tue May 03, 2011 at 09:33:58 PM EST
    example of callousness and Marie Antoinette-ery, one that got all of about 5 minutes of news coverage in the MSM -- probably mainly on Keith's show, the only show around back then.  Anderson Cooper might have mentioned it en passant.

    Another highlight of that admin was on the day of the landfall of that major hurricane in N.O. where Bush travels to AZ to be with McCain for a happy, carefree political get together/photo op.  

    Then, in the aftermath of the storm, after days and days of brutal indifference and incompetence by the fed govt and FEMA, the Queen Mother visiting with the refugees at the Astrodome, telling the press that most of them probably never had it so good.

    Ah, so many wonderful memories ...

    And I wish people like Sen Schumer (today, pouring heaps of praise on Bush for allegedly setting a solid framework in place for Obama to get OBL) and even Obama (who apparently invited Bush to appear with him at Ground Zero this Thursday (declined I understand) would stop enabling the re-writing of that particularly awful presidency.  If not, we're going to be looking at Ronnie Redux pretty soon wrt Shrub ...

    Did (none / 0) (#37)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue May 03, 2011 at 09:59:34 PM EST
    Obama actually invite Bush to ground zero?

    Parent
    Yep. Bush decided (none / 0) (#39)
    by brodie on Tue May 03, 2011 at 10:12:06 PM EST
    he didn't want to go.

    Parent
    My guess (none / 0) (#42)
    by cal1942 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 10:50:15 PM EST
    is that he didn't want to risk being upstaged by Obama.

    And.

    Schumer should have his head examined or Democrats have got to find a way of setting a message and spreading the word.  The GOP managed that virtually overnight.

    Parent

    When I heard Schumer (5.00 / 2) (#43)
    by brodie on Tue May 03, 2011 at 11:06:18 PM EST
    almost making it a joint Bush-Obama operation, I just wanted to reach for the nearest heavy object and fire it at the teevee machine -- and I'm not normally a violent guy.

    On the same matter, both Joe Sestak and even, incredibly, one Paul Wolfowitz tonight offered a more accurate assessment, giving the lion's share of the credit properly to Obama and his strong, decisive decision-making, while mentioning the previous admin only parenthetically.  Wolfowitz was shockingly on target and generous to Obama, and didn't try to pull a slick Andy Card job with the usual transparent pro-Bush spin.

    Parent

    Agree with you on Wolfowitz (none / 0) (#50)
    by gyrfalcon on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:27:10 PM EST
    I was shocked, frankly.  I refuse to say "Good for him," but...

    Parent
    Brodie (none / 0) (#51)
    by cal1942 on Thu May 05, 2011 at 01:45:59 AM EST
    regarding throwing stuff at the TV.

    I know exactly how you feel.  I don't watch Meet The Press, etc. for that very reason.

    Parent

    Is "clarion" a Spanish word (none / 0) (#2)
    by observed on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:46:32 PM EST
    for complete idiot?

    "In ten years. (none / 0) (#3)
    by lilburro on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:48:29 PM EST
    When I'm gone.  And when a President with a brain is in charge."

    She's detracting from (none / 0) (#4)
    by observed on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:52:15 PM EST
    May 31, 2003.
    Shame on her!

    Bush has never been (none / 0) (#6)
    by sj on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:53:25 PM EST
    my commander in chief.

    He was this family's Commander in Chief (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:01:55 PM EST
    And he failed his country, his soldiers, everyone.  He started two wars over Osama Bin Laden and then a year later said he seldom thought about him.  Bush was this family's Commander in Chief and he failed us and he failed this country.

    Parent
    Well certainly (5.00 / 1) (#14)
    by sj on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:53:29 PM EST
    your spouse's as he is a member of the Armed Forces.  If you want to give over loyalty in a sort of solidarity that's up to you.

    But I'm a civilian.  Civilians have no "commander-in-chief".

    Parent

    When it comes to who was going to (none / 0) (#15)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:58:18 PM EST
    give orders to the forces that you've paid for to preserve your safety and security, he was all you had then.  How was his service to you, using your tax dollars and your sworn to serve forces, in that capacity?

    Parent
    He was acting (none / 0) (#44)
    by sj on Wed May 04, 2011 at 02:10:16 AM EST
    as President.  I am not a military subordinate.

    Parent
    FOX should have a special (none / 0) (#7)
    by observed on Tue May 03, 2011 at 03:55:12 PM EST
    congratulating the President on getting Osama---
    President Bush, of course.
    They could have re-enactments of the waterboarding which extracted the key information leading to Osama's hideout.

    Their (none / 0) (#19)
    by cal1942 on Tue May 03, 2011 at 05:40:26 PM EST
    bin Laden's dead page has a picture of Bush and only mention of Obama is that he made the announcement.

    Parent
    Condi's not alone out there, check out Palin (none / 0) (#9)
    by vicndabx on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:02:53 PM EST
    here.  Is she really leaving Obama's name out or is it merely a flub of her lines?

    Michael Palin sang it best (none / 0) (#11)
    by Dadler on Tue May 03, 2011 at 04:07:39 PM EST
    Even though it's called THE FCC SONG, it could easily be called THE EIGHT YEARS OF DUBYA & CO. BULLSH*T SONG.  Sums it all up quite well.  As for Ms. Rice, to quote the song, "...and as for Condoleeza she's an intellectual tart."  WARNING: lots of F words.  (LINK)

    Is Rice still @ Stanford? (none / 0) (#26)
    by oculus on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:25:12 PM EST


    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#29)
    by Zorba on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:42:13 PM EST
    Condoleezza Rice is the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, professor of political economy in the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and professor of political science at Stanford University.

    Link
    Unfortunately for Stanford.  (But then, John Yoo is a Professor of Law at UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law.  Go figure.)

    Parent
    In partial defense of those (none / 0) (#36)
    by brodie on Tue May 03, 2011 at 09:37:43 PM EST
    institutions, Stanford has always had a more conservative/establishment profile, and so the Hoover Inst'n there isn't entirely out of place.

    Boalt Hall also has traditionally been a somewhat more conservative or moderate school w/n the more liberal larger institution.  Of course, hiring and keeping on a Constitution shredder like Yoo -- well, back in the day, we would have seen massive and angry student protests by now ...

    Parent

    I've known people with (none / 0) (#40)
    by Harry Saxon on Tue May 03, 2011 at 10:15:28 PM EST
    Phi Beta Kappa keys who got their Ph.D at Stanford, and I've also known people who graduated from there who were complete idiots.


    Parent
    Just... absurd. (none / 0) (#28)
    by desertswine on Tue May 03, 2011 at 06:35:30 PM EST
    And dishonest.

    She Said It | 50 comments (50 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment