Rice lowers Mideast talks' expectations

[rodeodance]

Source: ap



Oct 14, 6:49 AM EDT

Rice lowers Mideast talks' expectations

By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer


JERUSALEM (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played down expectations for breakthroughs as she opened a critical round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy Sunday and warned Israel against moves that might erode confidence in the process.

As she flew into the region from Russia, Rice said she hoped to help narrow gaps between the Israelis and Palestinians, who are trying to forge an outline of an eventual peace deal in a joint statement to be presented at a U.S.-hosted international conference next month.

........
The U.S. has been trying to revive peace efforts since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in June. While the Gaza takeover has left Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas controlling just the West Bank, his expulsion of Hamas from government has, in U.S. eyes, freed the moderate leader to pursue a peace deal that would create a Palestinian state.

Rice said she did not believe her visit would produce the joint Israel-Palestinian statement or bring it to a point where invitations for the conference, expected to held in Annapolis, Md., in late November, could be issued.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MIDEAST_RICE?SITE=CODER&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-10-14-06-49-12;

[fasttense]

1. She has also lowered her expectation of ever finding a soul mate too. n/t

[Gman]

4. I thought she shared a house with her soul mate

http://wonkette.com/politics/dept'-of-domestic-partnerships/breaking--condi-rice-shares-home-with-a-liberal-300119.php

[Sanity Claws]

2. With Rice, one had only low expectations to start with.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. that's because SHE is attending. stupid little git. er, twit.

she has the anti-Midas touch, as well as being a fool, close-minded, living in her own reality, willfully ignorant of contrary facts, and a peabrain about global issues.

[gratuitous]

5. Say it isn't so!

Dr. Rice, practicing the soft bigotry of low expectations? Did anyone rouse Chimpy out of alcohol stupor to tell him how he's being betrayed (oops, can't use that word anymore, can we?) by his Secretary of State?