Hardboiled Rice

When the dust settles—if it ever does, our citizenry will have an opportunity to review the performance of Bush appointees and being the healing process of hard questions.

No one will be more out there than, Condy Rice, our National Security Adviser turned Secretary of State.

Considering that the Secretary of State is one of the highest profile positions in any administration, some may begin to ask some very explosive questions.

Among them:

What has Rice brought to the table?

And what is her legacy?

Neither is capable of a quick answer…

In Rice’s behalf, she does have an impressive set of credentials: A PhD and a specialization in USSR Studies.

But of course, the USSR no longer exists so in one respect Rice is a specialist without a specialty.

And despite her impressive credentials, it is hard to see that she has placed her own personal stamp on the office she holds.

Secondly, over nearly four years since she has become Secretary of State, we have the right to ask what is Condy Rice’s legacy?

Judging from the evidence, it is hard to see one.

If anything, Rice has brought a new policy of remoteness to the art of diplomacy.
She has been quick to say, “no” when it is to her advantage to do so; but, at the same time, she has been less inclined to encourage dialogue among interested parties. This has conveyed to other countries’ officials that Rice tends to dialogue with those she likes and ignore those she doesn’t like. And she is more connected with that mind set than any particular legacy.

In effect, this seems to be an inversion of the way classic diplomacy works where opposing parties are encouraged to come to the table for the purpose of discussing their differences and how to find a common path to arriving at an accord.

Much of our plethora of stalemates on many issues have evolved out of charges of obstinacy and inability to compromise that are increasingly being laid at her door.

When diplomacy has called for imagination and creativity, it is clear that they have been sadly missing from Ms. Rice’s repertoire; instead, she has chosen to emulate the recalcitrance of her boss and, ironically, instead of helping his cause, she has only served to dig his hole deeper.

It is clear that we have a long way to go to patch things up with the world and restore our democratic outlook on the world.

Les Aaron
The Committee for Positive Change
www.LAAGroup@aol.com
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