Daily Kos

Rice:"the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity"

by throwlikeagirl

Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 10:00:21 AM PDT

Today at the confirmation hearings of Condi Rice, Sen Voinovich, R-OH was questioning her on how negatively America is viewed in the world.  He expressed how astounded he was at how much anti-American sentiment abounded in the areas of Europe he had visited. He lead into his request for her plans to alleviate this by commending US moves to respond the the tsunami disaster in southeast asia. This is an almost exact quote of the first sentence of her answer:

"I agree that the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity and we are getting great dividends from that..." (with a smile/smirk)

This from the nominee for Secretary of State.

we are in big trouble.

she could not have provided more damning evidence of the Bush administration's utter disregard for the rest of the world, the suffering of others, the self-serving mind-set. Fortunately, Barabara Boxer fed it back to her in the next round of questioning...but the damage is done. that 10 second sound byte, which will no doubt be ping-ponged around asia for days to come, summarizes the competence of the Bush administration's choice to head America's diplomatic presence in a very troubled world.

I hope someone with far greater techno savvy than I have can capture that and manipulate it into a watchable sound byte to play back during every the spin on every blunder and catastrophe this admistration visits upon the world. Of course she sees it as a "wonderful opportunity",..just like tens (hundreds?) of thousands of Iraqi's dead is a "wonderful opportunity" to democratize the middle east. just like 9/11 was a "wonderful opportunity" to implement the neocon/armageddon agenda. just like our staggering twin deficits are "wonderful opportunities" to dismantle social programs.

how many more "wonderful opportunties" both natural and man made can this country and the globe sustain with this administration at the helm?

Specific comments on the hearings are already underway on a recommended diary today. But let this be an activism call diary to support our Democratic Senators who made a decent show of opposition today (Kerry, Boxer, Feingold)...let's continue to contact them in our show of support for their stance as an opposition party. Insist that they keep it up. Remind them that we cannot let the Bush admin frame every world happening as a "wonderful opportunity."

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Permalink | 16 comments

  •  I am so proud (none / 1)

    that Barbara Boxer is my "True Blue" senator!

    by kpelligra on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 09:52:30 AM PDT

  •  This was appalling (4.00 / 2)

    And when Barbara Boxer started her questioning, she said that before her prepared remarks, she need to give Condi some advice, that if she wanted to seem like a diplomat, she probably shouldn't say unfeeling things like that.

    I beg to dream and differ from the hollow lies..

    by lesliet on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 09:53:16 AM PDT

    •  Rice dismissive of Boxer (none / 1)

      got the feeling Rice was just "enduring" Boxer's comments...i was glad Boxer seized on it...but i don't think condi's comments were unfeeling but rather reflected exactly her warped feelings about US policy, her job, and the rest of the world.

      by throwlikeagirl on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 09:56:44 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  heartless (none / 1)

    utterly heartless...

    "I have lived with several Zen masters -- all of them cats." - Eckhart Tolle

    by catnip on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 09:57:20 AM PDT

  •  The curtain falls occasionally (none / 0)

    Face it. These are the people who saw the death of 3000+ [i]Americans[/i] on 9/11 as the ultimate "wonderful opportunity" to cash in on their dreams of rape and pillage. Are we expecting them to think more humanely about the death of 150,000 non-Americans?

    by Hrubec on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 10:01:04 AM PDT

  •  three fifths of an opportunity . . . (none / 0)

    there must be an appropriately scathing way to work that into a comment, or punch line, or whatever, just can't think of it at the moment . . .

    stay the corpse

    by bopes on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 10:06:59 AM PDT

  •  this could be the basis of (none / 0)

    a wonderful letter to our reps.  it makes a very good case for her lack of diplomatic skills.  how can she be secretary of state with such tactless behavior?

    "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

    by Cedwyn on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 10:58:37 AM PDT

  •  I thought it was a nice save (none / 0)

    ...I think she started out to say,

    "the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity to eradicate the rest of the Muslims in Herr Fuhrer's holy war"

    I was just glad she caught herself in time!

    Nice save, Condi!

    by emptypockets on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 11:18:22 AM PDT

  •  A little hypocrisy on KOS (none / 0)

    Living in Thailand and knowing people caught in the Tsunami I have followed comments and actions very carefully across a lot of media around the world. Some has been good and some bad.
    This statement by Rice is awful and it is probably also her true opinion. However, I wouldn't expect anything better from a pathological liar and conspirator in mass murder.
    However, when the Tsunami struck I was shocked to see the exact sentiments expressed now by Rice being put forward on this site although sometimes presented as the administration missing a great opportunity.Sometimesthere were calls for the Dems to cynically use the Tsunami to score cheap political points. Even more shocking for me was they were also the sentiments of Juan Cole on his normally exceptional blog.
    I hope those criticisizing Rice are not from this hypocritical wing of the so called left.
    I also hope those on the left who expressed similar sentiments can reflect on what they wrote or said, and maybe realize that there are common human causes and tragedies that have nothing to do with our bipolar political battles or for that matter advancing america over all other things. Please while criticisizing Rice lets have a little reflection on what we sometimes say ourselves, and a recognition that there is a world of humans outside amerika.  

    by observer393 on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 08:36:43 PM PDT

  •  Audio fun (none / 0)

    I captured the audio, clicky:

    Use as you will.

    When will we find a chord as resonant as to shake the sheets and make us move?

    by fivesideagon on Tue Jan 18, 2005 at 09:07:00 PM PDT

  •  don't you know (none / 0)

    that nothing in the world means anything unless it can be framed as about Americans?

    We are all that's important.  And in fact, only the repugs are important.  Everyone else on the planet can go to hell.  (And unfortunately we are.)

    The United States in 2005: Arrogance and Self-Centeredness Unmatched

    McCain is not a moderate, a maverick, or a man of integrity.

    by marjo on Wed Jan 19, 2005 at 05:18:31 AM PDT

Permalink | 16 comments