State Department Staffers Compare Rice to Wicked Witch of the West

[Beacool]

By Ryan Powers on Jan 22nd, 2009



Reporting on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s introductory speech at the State Department this morning, Harper’s Scott Horton notes that last week several career State Department staffers compared former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz:

I met last week with a number of career State Department employees and was surprised when one said she was looking forward to the “Glinda Party” next week. I asked her: if Hillary was Glinda, the Good Witch of the South from the Wizard of Oz, did that make Condoleezza Rice the Wicked Witch of the West?

“You’re on to it,” she said. Another person pointed out to me that after Rice’s arrival in 2005 the tone of official State Department publications changed; they began to praise and glorify Rice. “No prior secretary,” said the twenty-year veteran, “did anything like this.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/22/rice-wicked-witch/

[Captain Hilts]

1. I'm sick of women being called names like this. And Wicked Witch of the Wets sounds dirty.

How long before someone here calls her Cruella de Ville?

[Skip Intro]

4. I'm sorry, I can't think of a name too bad to call this mass murderess. nt

[Captain Hilts]

5. I haven't seen 'murderESS' since reading detective novels from the 30s. nt

[Skip Intro]

7. Whatever. Her hands are bloody. She sold a war of agression. People were murdered. A lot of people.

Thanks in no small part to her efforts. She should be in prison, in shackles, awaiting justice.

[merh]

6. The OP has a typo - it should be wicked witch of the west

(anyone that read the OP could tell there was a typo) and women are just as open to criticism and caricatures as their male counterpoints.

What names have GWB and Cheney been called? How about Ashcroft, Gonzales, Rumsfield, etc.

I'm a female and I don't find the name calling to be out of the ordinary. Hillary is good, Condi is bad - the State Dept folks have a more colorful way of labeling the two.

[Captain Hilts]

9. No one called McCain 'Capt. Queeg'. nt

[merh]

11. No, he was called a lot worse.

[PBS Poll-435]

14. They did at FR

:D

Those crazy Thompson-lovers.

[Chulanowa]

15. I compared him to both Ahab AND the great white whale

Queeg would have been included if I had thought of it.

[Hanse]

24. He was routinely called "Grampa Simpson" on nightly news.

So there goes another one of your irrational theories about sexism.

[Captain Hilts]

25. I CERTAINLY don't remember the nightly news referring to him as 'grandpa'.

Did they do so on Nickelodeon?

[Chulanowa]

10. So what you're saying...

Is that when drawing a comparison between someone and a notable villainous figure, only male villains are valid?

[Captain Hilts]

27. No. Grow up. 'Reading is comprehending'. nt

[Beacool]

12. It was a typo, Mookie.

I corrected it. I don't approve of women being called names either. I just happened to see this article and thought it interesting since it confirms that Condi was not very popular at State.

;)

[Captain Hilts]

28. Yes, I know...

it was a typo and that it was a link.

I understand. My comments were about the link, not you.

[Sultana]

13. She lacks Cruella's fashion sense

:P

[Captain Hilts]

29. Oh, I don't know, how bout them boots?

[H2O Man]

32. No one compared

John McCain to Nancy Sinatra.

[pnwmom]

23. Fine. In that outfit, she looks more like Darth Vader anyway. n/t

[lunatica]

42. Wicked Witch of the Wets????

Sounds really scanky!

Whereas the Wicked Witch of the West wouldn't be caught dead near anything wet! Um... I mean... actually she was caught dead by water.

[bertman]

47. Yes, Cruella did look Wickedly Wet to me.

[Skip Intro]

2. What is it with those black go-go boots? nt

[Beacool]

16. Condi was known for her love of shoes.

She particularly liked those "fu** me" high heeled boots.

}(

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. A FREAK INDEED BUT WETS????

State Department Staffers Compare Rice to Wicked Witch of the Wets
Posted by Beacool

[Beacool]

8. Sorry, typo.

I corrected it.

:blush:

[NYC_SKP]

17. Hey, you typoed!

And some folks went ballistic! LOL!

In November I wrote a reply to an OP and mistakenly typed that I'd voted Yes on Prop. 8, (of course I hadn't).

It was a nightmare! It didn't matter that I corrected myself in another reply...

Ginny says to say "woof"!

We're going to bed now.... (insert sleepy smiley in night cap) :hi:

[Beacool]

19. I know, they are a tough crowd over here. LOL!!!

Hi, Pooch how's life? It's freaking freezing over here!!!! :scared:

A big WOOF to Ginny.

Have a good night and don't let the bed bugs bite, or fleas in Ginny's case.

:pals:

[lunatica]

49. I love this kind of typo

It worked out well for you and we all had fun

[MADem]

18. I'd heard tell that things were going badly over there since Powell left.

Morale issues, and so forth.

Rice has a reputation that preceded her appointment to State for, er, self-aggrandizement. To say nothing of stealing the work of others and claiming credit for it. She's never been regarded as a nice person, not since she did a high level internship in her youth, "BB"--Before Bush (and by that I mean Bush The Elder).

Given this, it's probably appropriate to "cue the key scene:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfV_ENR5IZE&feature=PlayList&p=DC95113755A3A07B&playnext=1&index=52

[tyne]

20. To focus or bring attention

to this story is an example of playing childish games. We know how those end.

Turn the page...Rice is gone and we've got work to do.

[MADem]

33. Hey, here's a suggestion for you!

If you don't like reading comments about this story, HIDE THREAD is your friend. No one is forcing you to read this topic or even weigh in on it. I don't particularly care if you don't like my opinions, and I also would like to remind you, since you're somewhat confused, apparently, as to your role here, that no one has designated you the arbiter of what people are allowed to focus on.

Your attempt to tell other people what they can, or cannot, talk about is what's "childish" in this discussion. It's the behavior of a controlling, needy, net-nanny, it reflects poorly on you, and it's not a terribly popular tack to take. No one likes a bossy whiner who tries to tell strangers how to behave or what they are "allowed" to discuss.

Capisce? Some people (not you, apparently) actually CAN walk and chew gum at the same time. We CAN focus on this story and reflect upon the excesses that happened in State while looking forward to Clinton's tenure. The history at that department is important to anyone who gives a shit about how US foreign policy has been conducted over the past eight years, and the behavior at State over that time will affect the work that needs to be done in the years ahead. If that's too tough for you to understand or take on board, investigate that HIDE THREAD function--or use IGNORE to filter out individuals if attention deficit overwhelms your ability to enjoy this board.

But don't tell people what to do--that's just not on.

[Captain Hilts]

26. It actually goes back to Powell, who was generally ignored on policy. nt

[MADem]

34. Individuals liked him, though. Morale amongst the rank and file, and the

careerists, was reasonably good. When he was pushed out the door (and that IS what happened), people cried.

The workers knew that Powell could only do what Cowboy and Big Dick permitted him to do, but one thing that Powell did, and did fairly well, was advocate for, and protect, his worker bees. Rice didn't do that.

Added to Powell's woes was that dickhead Bolton, who had "ideas above his station" and wanted to be the arbiter of what information Powell, and later Rice, were "allowed" to receive--he often tried to prevent them from getting key material, which required information providers to have to "go around" him. A real asshole, that Evil Captain Kangaroo pervert--it doesn't take a rocket scientist, either, to figure out who the "two officials" are in this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A61304-2005Apr17?language=printer

John R. Bolton -- who is seeking confirmation as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- often blocked then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, on one occasion, his successor, Condoleezza Rice, from receiving information vital to U.S. strategies on Iran, according to current and former officials who have worked with Bolton.

In some cases, career officials found back channels to Powell or his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, who encouraged assistant secretaries to bring information directly to him. In other cases, the information was delayed for weeks or simply did not get through. The officials, who would discuss the incidents only on the condition of anonymity because some continue to deal with Bolton on other issues, cited a dozen examples of memos or information that Bolton refused to forward during his four years as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

fTwo officials described a memo that had been prepared for Powell at the end of October 2003, ahead of a critical international meeting on Iran, informing him that the United States was losing support for efforts to have the U.N. Security Council investigate Iran's nuclear program. Bolton allegedly argued that it would be premature to throw in the towel. "When Armitage's staff asked for information about what other countries were thinking, Bolton said that information couldn't be collected," according to one official with firsthand knowledge of the exchange.

Intra-agency tensions are common in Washington, and as the undersecretary of state in charge of nuclear issues, Bolton had a lot of latitude to decide what needed to go to the secretary. But career officials said they often felt that his decisions, and policy views, left the department's top diplomat uninformed and fed the long-running struggles inside the agency.

[Captain Hilts]

41. Yes, but they saw their department being marginalized along with Powell. nt

[MADem]

43. I'm not arguing that point. The department likely would have been marginalized no matter who had

the gig, though.

The Bush team wasn't INTERESTED in diplomacy. It didn't matter who had the deck or the con at State. They almost could have sent everyone home and saved the salaries, for all the use they made of State. About the only thing State did of substance was replace lost passports overseas, help travellers, and arrange shopping CODELS for GOP Senators during recesses.

Even when Condi got the job, her role was more of a bullying messenger than a negotiator or diplomat. She would be sent on her way with her big boots to "deliver a message," like Tony Soprano in a dress.

[Captain Hilts]

44. Right. Now, it's back to business.

Charming people.
Buying them off.
Bribing them.
Making friends with them.
Drinking with them.
Blackmailing them.
Threatening them.

And knowing which to do to whom and when.

What diplomacy is supposed to be about!!

[MADem]

45. Absolutely!!!! It's what the rest of the world does with us....look at Bandar Bush!

When he was SA ambassador, he was a bright light in a dull, miserable DC landscape. Why?

Best parties.
Best booze.
Best music.
Best canapes.
Best full bore dinner parties, when that was the event.

The guy knew how to throw a shindig! His replacement is a pale imitation!

[Captain Hilts]

46. No one, NO ONE threw better parties than pre-Revolutionary Iran. nt

[MADem]

48. That's a FACT. Both at their embassies, and on their home turf.

Brilliant booze, brilliant food, BRILLIANT conversationalists...and of course, sophistication to the max.

The excess at Persepolis has yet to be duplicated! What a show!

[elocs]

21. The Wicked Witch of the West may be insulted by that comparison. n/t

[PBS Poll-435]

22. She is filing suit tomorrow.

nt

[LiberalFighter]

30. Hopefully, an exposé is published and lays it all out.

[zulchzulu]

31. The Wicked Witch of The West wasn't a war criminal or partially responsible for 9/11

The Wicked Witch of The West was a decent person by comparison.

[avaistheone1]

35. It is no wonder why this woman will never work in government again.

Condi is a walking disaster.

[MADem]

36. Never say never.

Who thought Cheney or Rumsfeld would ever work in government again, after their time with Richard Nixon?

We would have been better off if they didn't, but that's beside the point.

[avaistheone1]

37. If there had been a thorough house cleaning after Watergate

rather than all the pardons that Ford gave out --- Rumsfeld and Cheney would never have been able to serve in government again.

[MADem]

38. If Ford had been an ELECTED VP, he might have been able to withstand the

heat of a housecleaning. Or, if Ford had been uninterested in retaining power (but they never are uninterested, are they??) he might have had more courage.

As it was, he remained politically ambitious, and because of this, he wasn't prepared to piss off the GOP base or create precedent by an unelected leader and drag people to the gallows and hang 'em high. He played it safe, and missed the opportunity to be a hero. If he'd had a crystal ball, and known that he was slated to lose the election to a southerner (the only guy who could have negated Nixon's "southern strategy") no matter what, he might have been braver.

[Jennicut]

39. I am not surprised, she seemed more interested in her shoes then the people who worked for her.

[foxfeet]

40. Well, heck, it's HARD to find shoes to fit cloven hooves.