During Tony Snow's
press briefing yesterday, Condoleezza Rice received what is often the kiss of death from this White House...praise for a job well done:
But, again, Secretary Rice is -- let me make a point, because it's worth making the point that, again, the United States has achieved significant diplomatic -- has had significant diplomatic achievements on the North Korean front, on the Iranian front, and soon with the Middle East. That is a demonstration of effective diplomacy, in difficult times, when people would sometimes rather just kick the can down the road.
Now, given the close, personal relati...I mean, the heck of job she's doing, we all know that Condi isn't going to be losing her job, but effective? Come on...
I was so busy reading
this:
North Korea will upgrade its arsenal "in every way by employing all possible means and methods" and will greet any aggressors with "all-out do-or-die resistance and unprecedented devastating strikes," Kim Il Chol said, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim said such a move is necessary to counter the United States' "extremely hostile act...
And this:
The United States is ready to isolate North Korea internationally over its nuclear weapons program, the top US State Department envoy on the country said.
...that I must have missed the many significant diplomatic strides she's made with North Korea.
And Iran? I was so concerned when I read that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said:
If some people think they can talk to us with a language of force and threats, they are making a bad mistake. If they don't realise that now, one day they will learn it the hard way.
...I just assumed that our relationship with Iran wasn't getting any better.
And while the rest of the world is apparently kicking cans down the road, it's comforting to know that Condi is all over the current crisis in the Middle East. All over it? I give her too little credit...because she's going to transform it:
It is time for a new Middle East. It is time to say to those that don't want a different kind of Middle East that we will prevail. They will not.
How's that for diplomatic? My way or the highway...
But seriously, who could fault her for the job she has done during the current conflict between Israel and Lebanon? With Israel determined to wipe out Hezbollah in Lebanon and the alarming involvement of Iran and Syria, it's comforting to know that Condi is wielding all of her diplomatic skills on...Israel.
On the bright side (??), she wasn't much of a National Security Advisor either:
I believe the title was, "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States."
You're doing a heck of a job, Condi.