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Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 | 2 a.m.
Another view?
View more of the Las Vegas Sun's opinion section:
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U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice likely will be President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. This is old news. Rice was rumored for months to be Clinton’s likely replacement. She was constantly shadowing Clinton, who made it widely known that she wanted to resign, possibly before the Democratic National Convention in September.
On Sept. 16, Rice, at the behest of the White House, went on a number of Sunday talk shows to say that a spontaneous demonstration over a YouTube video led to the attack on the consulate and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya, which ultimately resulted in the murders of four American heroes, including Ambassador Chris Stevens and three members of his staff. Common knowledge and information before, during and after Rice’s appearances on the Sunday talk shows prove Rice wrong.
In his first news conference after re-election, President Barack Obama called out Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham for criticizing Rice’s accounts. The president neglected to mention that Sen. Kelly Ayotte joined the chorus of criticism of Rice. Obama went a step further. He challenged the senators to go after him instead. They obliged.
Rice deserves to be nominated and have a hearing. She deserves to be judged and criticized for the position, just like any nominee would be. Obama needs to keep personal issues out of it. If not, then he shouldn’t nominate her.
Sure Obama should nominate another staffer who can not think for them self
Rice went to Congress this week and said what I said on the Talk Show was Wrong
Rice said she had access to reams of classified information that said on 9/11/2012 Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmad lead the 100 plus Al Qaeda militants in the siege in Benghazi, Libya that murdered our Ambassador --- in retaliation for the murder of Osama bin Laden. You know the guy Obama and Biden both campaign with saying Bin Laden is dead.
But Rice said she stuck to the whitewashed WH talking points - 94 words on a power point slide set
Rice admitted that was easier then thinking for herself
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Really now
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Look at Rices past failure in Africa
The logical choice would be Leon Panetta for Secretary of State. The President is a smart man. The President knows who is best for the top cabinet positions. Especially a position that is 4th in line to the Presidency. The most experienced person for that position is Leon Panetta.
Susan Rice is good, but she is not Secretary of State material.
Look for the President to nominate someone other than Susan Rice. Not because to the comments made on the Sunday talk shows about the Benghazi attacks. Susan Rice can best serve the Nation in the capacity of Ambassador and not Secretary of State.
Gee Future...all the libs are gonna say is you were up early this morning making comments....they gonna say Susan Rice is a god send and to her knowledge didn't know anything...wait for it..and of course we will get Vernos usual rant of how FOX news turned it all around when he doesn't have cable to watch FOX news...and let's not forgot bout Colin's rant making the rich pay more which he will bring up in any article...
In reply to Carmine DiFazio; I'm no big fan of Susan Rice for Secretary of State either.
However Carmine, you have made excuses in the Las Vegas Sun discussion rooms for more than several years now proclaiming that former President George W. Bush was misled by the intelligence community when it came to the war in Iraq and their possession of weapons of mass destruction. Now that Ambassador Susan Rice was misled by the same intelligence community on Benghazi, you claim that she is not a good choice for Secretary of State.
Although I outlined some minor disagreements recently that I have with Susan Rice; here is an example on the Palestinian issue;
"I can understand why both the United States and Israeli delegations of the United Nations voted against statehood for the Palestinians. However, clearly disturbed Ambassador Rice in her rebuttal of this passage by the United Nations General Assembly was premature, as usual, and not well thought out. The Palestinians are now solely responsible for their actions."
"However, Ambassador Susan Rice was not all wrong in her angry response to the United Nations. History proves no independent Palestinian state has ever existed. At best, before World War I, Palestinians were only residents of a wasteland Turkish province. So, Ambassador Susan Rice has cause to be upset with the United Nations General Assembly. No Arab nation has ever set its roots on the soil of Israel other than the Jewish people. Those days are now over, too."
While Susan Rice needs to temper her trust of intelligence reports, this is certainly not a disqualifying factor for this post. She is certainly an engaged diplomat, and I like that!
Who would you prefer, Carmine? How about a candidate for Secretary of State parallel to Reagan's Secretary of State Alexander Haig? Remember this moron? He proclaimed to be, "In control of the White House" when Reagan was shot by John Warnock Hinckley, Jr.
I have minor disagreements with Ambassador Susan Rice. But, there is certainly not nearly enough for her not to be confirmed as Secretary of State.
Carmine, accuse Susan Rice appropriately. Granted, she is no Hillary Clinton, but Ambassador Rice has other qualities where Ms. Clinton is no Susan Rice. One thing is for sure, either one makes a much better selection to the post of Secretary of State than any Republican that I know of.
Longtime....you are up early making your rants which you accuse of anybody having a different opinion of yours that you don't agree with...yup...tolerant are you libs as long as it agrees with you....
Burrittobandit2,,
Your eating your beans early, are you? It appears your full of hot air early this morning. I suggest you open the window and allow your room a breath of fresh air.
Please, your free to offer a response to the article. I thought Carmine wrote a good article. He deserves reasonable responses. Not drive-by comments that have no logic or reason.
The stature of the debate over Susan Rice once more illustrates how style trumps substance in America and our priorities are completely out of line, in politics, the media and with Americans themselves.
The overriding issue with Benghazi and what transpired there should NOT be Susan Rice and her fitness for being Secretary of State. It SHOULD BE an effort to discover why we kept a consulate open there when most other nations closed theirs; why, in an area that reports said had become a hotbed of terrorists, we had only a small security force; why requests for addition security seem to have been denied; why the decision not to send assistance was made and why it took so long to get the FBI in to investigate.
Most Administrations have at least one foreign policy debacle during their term(s) and I believe this might have been one for the Obama Administration. The truth needs to come out so that America can decide whether this was a 'one off' poor decision or whether our foreign policy approach in this area needs to be re-thought.
Whether Susan Rice or someone else replaces Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State is important, but it pales compared to what I just said above.
This is another example of how this country has strayed so far away from a prudent path that it is almost unbelievable to me.
Michael
Beats me why you "Commie-Lites" would want Susan Rice in any capacity. After all, she & her husband are high among those 1%ers you despise. As a matter of fact, with between $22 and $43 million in assests, she and her hubby are in the .0001%. Seems to me you'd be agitating against her and for some homeless guy who doesn't have any shoes to wear. Hypocrites!
"The logical choice would be Leon Panetta for Secretary of State." @ LTV
He's 74, dyes his hair, flabby around the mid section. Sec of State will kill him before Obama leaves office.
CarmineD
In reply to Michael Casler;
"Those who have not been there do not know".
>B. Chapline<
I frequently recall a defining moment during my Marine Corps years when we were, overseas, and in a very bad situation. In the aftermath, I listened to my Platoon Sergeant angrily confront our Company Commander. His words were, "Sir, respectfully, just what the f**k were you thinking?" The Captain replied, "Sergeant, besides orders that I have to follow, every field commander has to depend on the accuracy of the intelligence they are provided. Should this Intel not be correct, it sure does make us commanders seem inept and incompetent."
My heart went out to him and every other officer in my chain of command. No one hurts more than our leaders do when situations go awry and troops are lost. Benghazi applies to the Obama administration.
Focus your criticisms on the intelligence community in our government. However, understand as I've said to you time and time again; "There are many risks of an extreme nature when employed in any way as a government servant."
Michael, had you ever been in any of these situations, you would know.
In reply to Carmine and Jerry Fink; please attempt to control your outrageous comments.
"It's never a pretty picture when one disgraces themselves. This applies even when it's the political opposition."
>B. Chapline<
The Las Vegas Sun should quit this affirmative action letters to the editor policy.
My Lord, this Carmine guy has shouted BENGHAZI, BENGHAZI, BENGHAZI and tried to slime Susan Rice, even in this letter to the editor.
Here is a thumbnail sketch of Susan Rice:
"Rice was a three-sport athlete, student council president, and valedictorian at National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., a private girls' day school. She played point guard in basketball and directed the offense, acquiring the nickname "Spo", short for "Sportin'".
Rice said that her parents taught her to "never use race as an excuse or advantage", and as a young girl she "dreamed of becoming the first U.S. Senator from the District of Columbia". She also held "lingering fears" that her accomplishments would be diminished by people who attributed them to affirmative action.
After her father's death in 2011, she said, "He believed segregation had constrained him from being all he could be. The psychological hangover of that took him decades to overcome. His most fervent wish was that we not have that psychological baggage."
Rice attended Stanford University, where she received a Truman Scholarship, and graduated with a B.A. in history in 1986. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Rice was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, Rice attended New College, Oxford, where she earned a M.Phil. in 1988 and D.Phil. in 1990. The Chatham House-British International Studies Association honored her dissertation entitled, "Commonwealth Initiative in Zimbabwe, 1979-1980: Implication for International Peacekeeping" as the UK's most distinguished in international relations.
Rice's classmates and professors OF Oxford included advocates of the role of the United Nations and international law (Sir Adam Roberts, Benedict Kingsbury), of global economic governance and international economic cooperation (Ngaire Woods, Donald Markwell), and of a firm stance against Russian authoritarianism (Michael McFaul).
Rice was born in Washington, D.C., to Emmett J. Rice (1919--2011), Cornell University economics professor and the second black governor of the Federal Reserve System; and education policy scholar Lois (Dickson) Fitt, currently at the Brookings Institution."
Rice comes from a SOLID, Brilliant set of parents, has worked well from inside the system, and for this DiFazio creature to imply Susan Rice hides behind Hillary Clinton's skirt, well he should know better, having been a low level bureaucrat for most of his adult life that the term is called deference or simple respect.
Isn't it a fairly good idea for the (whoever, democratic or republican or independent) person you are going to promote into the position to get their hands dirty and see if there is a fit, the temperment, problem solving skills, etc. ?
Maybe the Sun doesn't know of DiFazio's abject hatred of all things Obama.
I do, and at 9:00 AM today, I will be making a call to cancel my subscription to the newspapers. I expect right wing trash in the other newspaper of the combo, and it goes directly to the recycling bin.
The Sun may as well set up "Cooking With (Jim) Bacon" columns, "Helpful household tips with Bradley Chapline", or "Strategies for Assessing Blame With Michael Casler".
The bottom line is this type of letter belongs on townhall.com and if Rice is Obama's choice, let it be voted on, instead of blocked by the cowardly senate republicans.
Carmine,
"He's 74 dyes his hair,flabby around the mid section.Sec.of state will kill him before Obama leaves office".
What makes you think Leon Panetta in his current job as C.I.A. director has it any less stressful than the job of secretary of state? Don't be so criticial of a true patriot and American.By the way what do you look like in your late 60's?
Burrittobandit2 - "wait for it..and of course we will get Vernos usual rant of how FOX news turned it all around when he doesn't have cable to watch FOX news."
Not Fox, just McCain, Graham and their faux rage. Susan Rice used the talking points given to her by the CIA. Should she have ignored their memo?
There's a really MAJOR reason for the Republican'ts to oppose Susan Rice. If she is rejected, that ups the odds that John Kerry will be selected. Which allows a Republican't governor to appoint Scott Walker - even though his voters soundly rejected Walker just last month.
"Jeff from Vegas"; it's almost 9:00 AM. Just a reminder where you wrote, "At 9:00 AM today, I will be making a call to cancel my subscription to the newspapers."
I'm sure this media group will be bracing themselves for a huge reduction in revenue!
"Samspeaks" asks of Carmine, "By the way what do you look like in your late 60's?"
Please, no Sam, I'm about to eat breakfast.
Jeff,
I don't believe any person that is nominated by the President for a cabinet position or a judge should be kept from a full hearing by allowing a few people to block the nomination.
Unfortunately, this has been done in several previous administrations by both parties, so the indignation you hear each time is pretty disingenuous.
Just give any nominee a full hearing and full up or down vote. Elections have consequences.
Michael
Sam:
Panetta is Sec of Def not CIA Director.
Sec of State does much more travelling and smoozing with world leaders than Def. Panetta is not up for the toll it takes personally and physically. Takes a younger person with less family and home ties than Leon.
CarmineD
"As a matter of fact, with between $22 and $43 million in assests, she and her hubby are in the .0001%." @ Jerry Fink
One's personal wealth, or lack thereof, should never be a consideration for public service. If it were, it would disqualify alot of persons who would make good/excellent public servants.
CarmineD
"My Lord, this Carmine guy has shouted BENGHAZI, BENGHAZI, BENGHAZI and tried to slime Susan Rice, even in this letter to the editor." @Jeff
Wrong. If I have said it once here, I've said it a dozen times in response to several recent nationwide columnists for and against her nomination as Sec of State. Rice is among the best and brightest in the Democratic party. I also said she made a mistake by going on the Sunday morning talk shows and parroting the party line on Benghazi. She admits that now too.
Rice is the face of the future of the Dem party [it's not Hilary Clinton]. Rice deserves the nomination and an up and down vote for the job. She deserves the opportunity to get the nomination on her own merits and make her case for the job. Period. End of story.
CarmineD
"Just give any nominee a full hearing and full up or down vote." @ Michael
Amen. Simple political concept well grounded in practice. President wins, he picks his cabinet appointees, the appointees get a public hearing in the Senate, and the Senate confirms or denies the nominees based on a public up and down vote.
CarmineD
"well he should know better, having been a low level bureaucrat for most of his adult life" @ Jeff
Like I said many times to you here before, my family business of over 40 years was my passion. My government position of 33 years was my job.
CarmineD
Carmine,
You are correct Leon Panetta is Sect.of defense,not C.I.A.director.Judging from my 6:33 am post today. I'm not much to be judging others.I hope I don't forget to tie my shoes before I go out today.
"I also said she made a mistake by going on the Sunday morning talk shows and parroting the party line on Benghazi. She admits that now too."
Carmine I'm not a brain surgeon but right or wrong when this attack happened, anyone thats up on world events knew that this was an act of terror and not because of some stupid a$$ movie. God help us if something as obvious as this wasn't recognized by our government for what it truly was. Certainly doesn't make me feel more secure if this is true.
chuck333 - "Carmine I'm not a brain surgeon but right or wrong when this attack happened, anyone thats up on world events knew that this was an act of terror and not because of some stupid a$$ movie."
How do you distinguish Libya from the other 20 plus coutries who went off the deep end over that video? It all happened within the same time frame. It was a world wide event and singling out Libya is unfair.
"Carmine I'm not a brain surgeon but right or wrong when this attack happened, anyone thats up on world events knew that this was an act of terror and not because of some stupid a$$ movie." @Chuck
The White House, rather than push the party line that it was the anti-Muslim prophet video, should have said we don't know the real causes yet and when we do we'll release them. White House didn't. Instead it pushed the video non-sense to sure up it's mantra Al Qaida is dead.
But here's the real issue being missed in this flap and it has nothing to do with Susan Rice. For over 8 hours the White House principals were watching the Battle of Benghazi unfold in real time. The President said he gave the order to do everything possible, and I paraphrase, to save the American heroes who died, Ambassador Chris Stevens and 3 of his security detail. What was done? One unmanned unarmed drone sending video inn real time back to the White House of the battle? There are 3 possible explanations and answers. And Panetta and Obama, mostly President Obama, owe the American people the correct answer.
Sadly Generals in sex scandals and royalty expecting babies are more appealing to the news reporters than the deaths of 4 American heroes. They gave their lives! For what?
CarmineD
"It was a world wide event and singling out Libya is unfair." @Vernos Branco
Not when 4 Americans were murdered and the US appears at least so far to have done nothing to save one or more of them.
CarmineD
Senators from either party don't like to be lied to.
It appears that Syria has Saddam's sarin gas locked and loaded onto it's fighter-bombers. Stay tuned.
"Senators from either party don't like to be lied to." rusty57
And a felony whether or not the witnesses are sworn in before!
CarmineD
No, Rice doesn't deserve to be nominated. The issue is who could serve well in that position, perhaps even who could serve best, who of those available and/or willing to accept. Ms. Rice has nothing of value to offer. As said elsewhere, there has been no positive performance at the UN other than we keep getting the bill for each and every action. And now all the little marionettes what a Palestinian homeland despite our opposition. WHY DO WE BELONG TO THE UN when they go against our interests almost always?
"No, Rice doesn't deserve to be nominated." @ Roslenda
Ms. Rice may not deserve to be confirmed. Time will tell IF SHE IS NOMINATED. The latter is in the hands of President Obama, who by many accounts, did not deserve to be the party's nominee in 2008.
CarmineD