Well, how do you al think Condy did?

[G Feller]

Was anyone able to watch her testify at the hearings? I had a badly tuned TV on in my cave at work, so I heard but didn't see a lot of it (which is good because I find her repulsive at nearly every level).

I don't like her or her administration one bit, but I believe she did a good job of covering for her boss and any failures of the administration. Of course, she had a lot of time to prepare and surely an astronomical level of help. Her testimony will now be dissected, but she really didn't say too much although she had a lot to say (this is apparently her style).

For the first time, I am willing to allow the fact that the Bush folks were simply overwhelmed during the first 20% of their time in office when they looked around them and said, "Gee, it's really a big scary world, isn't it?" It must be hard to keep continuity between administrations, but I must say they seemed extremely determined to avoid any more continuity than that required by law.

I did appreciate the one commissioner's comment, something like "is it even possible that this administration would ever admit a mistake"? That sort of got to the heart of the matter for me, how the Bush folks lack public humility.

I think the damage control was pretty successful. Now the war (getting a little scary over there, isn't it?) and the campaign continue.

Other opinions? Maybe we can have a lively debate on all this stuff without pettiness and mudslinging, etc.? We shall see.

[mholbrook]

Dr. Rice did great in a somewhat hostile environment. I think she more than held her own. And since when did any administration ever admit a mistake, Republican or Democrat. Ted Kennedy is spewing about a comparison to the Vietnam War and this war. John McCain rebutted nicely yesterday. If President Bush is beaten in the Fall, then I think you will really see a huge increase in terrorist activity since they know that no Democrat is going to stand up to them. Of course, either way, you can go ahead and lay the blame at Bush's feet. Surely President Clinton and his group did no better.

I doubt that any administration change from one side to the other is going to go all that smooth. If the two sides can't work together in Congress, why would it be any different in transitioning Executive Branch. Sort of like the CIA and FBI working together.

Mike Holbrook
Spring Valley, CA

[rickm]

Someone has to take the fall. Let Condy take it...she's a black female, the NAACP will have a ball with that one. (j/k)

Mike is right - until everyone works together - Democrats and Republicans, FBI & CIA, etc - we'll have holes. I know the agencies don't like each other, but there comes a time when someone needs to step in and knock their heads together and say "cut the bullshit, let's get to work". Or the infamous "don't make me pull this country over".

I read quite a bit of the USS Cole findings...it was interesting watching one guy "suggest" that the Captain of the Cole take the fall for it. As time went on carrots were being offered to help soften any outcome.

Condy is one of the president's men, she has to stand tall. I'd not want to be in her shoes. I don't always agree with her, but I think she's done an admireable job. If that was me up there I'd have pits like Norm on Cheers, all the way to the floor.

[mholbrook]

Why not flip the spin and let Richard Clarke take the fall. After all, he is already out of a job and has plenty of $$$ from his "tell all" book to soften the fall.

Plus he's a such a smug SOB with his little smirk that he just can't quite keep off his face. He's just so happy to finally be in the spot light and "show" the Bush administration what a mistake they made not to have listened to him and maybe canned Rice and put him in charge. He's the counterterrorism "expert" who failed to do much of anything during the more than a dozen years he was in there. Plus, he surely took a nice fat government retirement with him when he left.

Mike Holbrook
Spring Valley, CA

[rickm]

Condy will have a nice book deal also. Putting her on the stand adds to revenues, if she can hang in a bit longer she'll be all set.

Gov retirement isn't too bad. I've been at my job for 5 years, if I leave and leave some of my $$ in the pot I'll get free healthcare when I turn 65. Though the way I'm going I probably won't make it.

[Brian C.]

...EVERYONE isn't supportive and believing of what he has to say. And what would his reason be to bring up some dirt now, rather than stick to the versions that he told a while ago? Just because he stands to pocket a cool $25 mil or so from his tell-all tome, it shouldn't insinuate that he would "elaborate" on topics that he knows would be out of bounds for still-employed administration types to comment on. Afterall, HE only wants the truth to come out and gosh darn it.....HE might as well be the first one to tell us what that truth is.....for $29.95 at Barnes and Noble, and $24.95 on Amazon.

And that Condy Rice. She's a real little slickster, isn't she?? With her advanced degrees in Foreign Policy and Russian Studies. Her fluency in French, Spanish, Russian, and English shows how she likes to double-speak, huh? The mear fact that she was sitting alone, at a table, with probably what.....a ba-zillion eyes on her every twitch.....and she didn't show one iota of sweat.....unlike Normy I might add.....certainly indicates to me that she must be hiding SOMETHING. It's funny though, how an eminently educated, some might even say a "Renaissance Woman" like she is, must certainly have gone "bad" if she works for THEM. If only she had chosen to believe in the left....I mean the CORRECT party ideals, surely she would be a great leader, a role model for all, someone that young, old, black, white, boys and girls could all look up to. But no. She works for THEM so she must be devious and conniving.

Or maybe not.


Brian C.

(NOTE** PLEASE ACTIVATE SARCASM FILTER WHILST READING THE ABOVE )

[mholbrook]

Your forgot she is an acomplished pianist. All the rest is pretty much on target. In any case, the eggs are broken in Iraq so we must find a way to make an omelet. Just packing up and leaving means it was all for naught. In no way is this war comparible to Vietnam (and I was in that war). If we had the media storm in the 60's we have now, we would have been out of there before the end of the Camelot song. (JFK's theme)

Mike Holbrook
Spring Valley, CA

[Brian C.]

....she probably got by being cozy with The Bushes. If only she had some brains she'd realize how wrong she is to actually follow her convictions and try to serve her country.

Brian C.

[Brian C.]

....once people have read her bedside tell-alls, "Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army" (1984), "Germany Unified and Europe Transformed" (1995) with Philip Zelikow, and "The Gorbachev Era" (1986) with Alexander Dallin, readers will be enthralled with her expose on where Gorby's "birthmark" REALLY came from!

Brian C.

[Dom]

She's a lieing bitch, The administration has lied ever since they moved into tyhe White House. Does anyone remember how they said the Clintons "trashed" the White House.