Rice Impugned By Her Own Words

[JDPriestly]

Boxer was wonderful. Is the transcript available yet? Does anyone have a link.

[fryguy]

1. rice's testimony strategy

step one: open mouth

step two: insert foot or lie

[Ian David]

2. Obama is being whimpy

WTF?

Obama practically curled up into her lap and made nice.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

3. freshman senator

they are not supposed to make waves.

[fryguy]

4. easy now....

he's been a senator for like 4 days.....the last thing he needs to do is establish himself as a fire brand right out of the box....the more established dems (read: boxer, et al) have the clout to hold condi to the fire.....

on the hill its like a chess game, and obama needs to set his pieces up and not loose his rooks in the opening rounds....

[rkc3]

5. How about giving your time to Boxer? Might be a good strategy for Obama.

[fryguy]

6. not good either

he needs to establish himself as his own senator

[bkcc]

7. Good point...

but then why did they put him on the panel to question Rice?

Shouldn't the Dems have just let others do the dirty work?

[fryguy]

9. two reasons

first of all he's on the foreign affairs committee, so its not like he was chosen to be there - its the committee he's on and his job to be at the confirmation hearing

second its an opportunity for him to receive national press and increase his presence - good things in the long run

[bkcc]

11. Thanks.

Just wondering aloud. Appreciate the clarification.

[robbedvoter]

8. Right. You don't want to disappoit the GOP-ers.

When is it fashionable to become a firebrand? 10-20 years into it?

[fryguy]

13. think about it

its not an issue of "when is it fashionable" but rather what is the most effective strategy to take....

condi's getting confirmed, no two ways about it. she's taken some hits today from boxer and others, but let's not kid ourselves, in the long run its just window dressing to her confirmation. do you really beleive any gop senator will vote against her?

boxer and kerry can (and should) call her out on her bullshit, but what advantage would it serve to have one of the rising stars in the dems launch himself into a tirad against condi only to then have him dragged across the networks and getting bashed by the media? sure it would make some of us here happy to see, but the effect on his overall stature would be deminished greatly.


to win back control we need to use more of the lessons of sun tzu and less emotional responses

[Seabiscuit]

15. Not even Boxer is "launching... into a tirade against condi". But

why is Boxer the only Senator at the hearing willing to ask the tough questions????

Asking tough questions doesn't make one a "firebrand". It's a matter of standing up for pinciple and what's right, since the MSM has totally sold out/been bought out and refuses to ask *any* tough questions of this administration.

Every dem in the Senate should be standing with Boxer today and pounding Rice with tough questions about Rice's fraudulent and misleading statements about 9/11, Bin Laden, Al Queda, Iraq's mythical WMDs, the phony crap about an "imminent/immediate threat", etc.

How else will Americans get the message? They sure won't hear it from Tweety et. al. the way things are going - but they *might* at least *hear about it* from Tweety et. al. if all the dems in the Senate pinned her to the wall with the tough questions.

By abandoning Boxer, the dems are allowing the media to marginalize and ignore her.

I am not so willing to try to fish for excuses for Obama or Kerry or any other dem Senator who's wimping out today. The fact that Rice will undoubtedly be confirmed is no reason to roll over and kiss her feet.

Sorry, I just had to say that. I'm so sick and tired of the "strategic" excuses for the general lack of spine in our democratic representation in D.C.

Hasn't anyone got the message yet that all this careful tip-toing and "strategizing" is exactly what the Repukes want the dems to do and that by doing so the dems are falling into their hands by playing by their rules?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Failure to ask the tough questions is sheer cowardice, nothing more, nothing less. Fuck the excuses.

[stevedeshazer]

17. Bingo

100% agreement. Boxer will suffer, and the money will keep changing hands among the Washington DC powers, be they Democrats or Repubs.

The Democratic Party is led by cowards all. I'm really fed up this time.

[JDPriestly]

23. I e-mailed Kerry to call him on his mistake in this.

We should e-mail Biden and all the other Democrats who refused to back Boxer. They can compromise and play nice on other issues. Lives are at stake here, and those lives will be on their consciences sooner or later when the truth finally comes to light.

[robbedvoter]

18. I used to be like you 4 years ago. So willing to build the dems, I was

smacking everyone who was disgusted at their folding. I kept rationalizing - bankruptcy law, tax cuts and all the hairbrained GOP schemes that they kept endorsing. Up to one point: the war.
Because tax laws you can change back. dead people stay dead.
After compromising on my righting votes, they are worms. With the few exceptions they are worms - and I am sick and tired of covering for them. They did have a progressive coalition. That won't happen again.
The "most efficient" theory ain't working on me anymore. This is a woman directly responsible for criminal negligence for 911. You coddle her, you spit on the dead. Same argument for starting the stupid war.

[fryguy]

21. so your plan for wresting control from the repukes is what then?

given the level of apathy that exists in much of this country what do you propose? seriously, people were given so many options for being educated about what these crooks did over the past four years, yet they still preferred to let the wool be pulled over the eyes than accept how bad it is. things like "swift boats", fox news, and clear channel ran roughshod over F9/11, the facts and their record.

setting aside your animosity toward the democratic party, how do you propose changing the climate? even if every democratic senator took turns and denounced rice and the rest, do you really think it would be played on the media - and consequently to the vast majority of the nation that doesn't watch CSPAN or pay attention to floor debate - as anything more than the democrats whining, etc.? do you think there will be legions of voters out there who will watch fox, nbc, cbs, etc.'s coverage and change their opinions? it didn't happen after the 9/11 commission, it didn't happen after the failure of finding WMD, it didn't happen at racking up record deficits, why will it change minds now? do you really think bushco and their cohorts wouldn't just spin it right around and go on with their business as usual......

i don't know what the "most efficient theory" your referring to is. but if you've got an alternate plan to put these liars in the minority lay out for me, cause i'm all for hearing other options.....

[buddysmellgood]

20. Politics as usual in times that are anything but. I think Obama should

speak his mind and represent the people who elected him. I'm sick of the games. Cowering should not be a part of strategy.

[David__77]

10. I trust Obama.

He is doing what he must at this time. He is new and letting others take the lead, as is appropriate for this fight. Soon, things will be different.

[Pam-Moby]

12. Yes, I see. You

are stating the truth. Sad and here I thought he would be a strong one in this hearing. It maybe because he is a little green yet.

[proud patriot]

14. Randi Rhodes is reading the transcript now

:)

[liveoaktx]

16. Vidclips of Boxer/Rice

at Vid Clips

midway down the page under Rice Hearing

[cags]

19. Thank you so much, I missed it

[BurtWorm]

22. NYTimes has Boxer's portion beginning here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/politics/18TEXT-RICE.html?pagewanted=49&oref=login

[Gabi Hayes]

24. LA Times xscript here

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-011805boxertext_wr,0,1996463,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Boxer, Rice Exchange Pointed Words


Following is a transcript of Sen. Barbara Boxer's remarks and Condoleezza Rice's response at Rice's confirmation hearing as provided by Federal News Service.

SEN. BOXER: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Dr. Rice, for agreeing to stay as long as it takes, because some of us do have a lot of questions.

And, Senator Lugar, you are a very fair chairman, and I wanted to say to the new members also welcome -- and you'll enjoy this committee, because we have such a great chairman and such a terrific ranking member, and we really do a lot of things in a bipartisan way, unlike other committees. And I think you're going to enjoy your time here.

Dr. Rice, before I get to my formal remarks, you no doubt will be confirmed -- that's at least what we think. And if you're going to become the voice of diplomacy -- this is just a helpful point -- when Senator Voinovich mentioned the issue of tsunami relief, you said -- your first words were, "The tsunami was a wonderful opportunity for us." Now, the tsunami was one of the worst tragedies of our lifetime -- one of the worst -- and it's going to have a 10-year impact on rebuilding that area. I was very disappointed in your statement. I think you blew the opportunity. You mention it as part of one sentence. And I would hope to work with you on this, because children are suffering, we're worried they're going to get in the sex trade. This thing is a disaster, a true natural disaster and a human disaster of great proportions, and I hope that the State Department will take a huge lead under your leadership in helping those folks in the long range.

Well, Mr. Chairman, again I thank you. I am -- Dr. Rice, I was glad you mentioned Martin Luther King -- it was very appropriate, given everything. And he also said, Martin Luther King, quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." And one of the things that matters most to my people in California and the people in America is this war in Iraq.

Now, it took you to page three of your testimony to mention the word "Iraq." You said very little really about it, and only in the questioning have we been able to get into some areas. Perhaps you agree with President Bush, who said all that's been resolved. I'm quoting today's Post: "Bush said in an interview last week with the Washington Post that the '04 election was a moment of accountability for the decisions he made in Iraq." But today's Washington Post/ABC poll found that 58 percent disapprove of his handling of the situation, to 40 percent who approve -- and only 44 percent said the war was worth fighting.

[JDPriestly]

25. Dup, sorry

Dup, sorry