THE PLANK MARCH 25, 2008
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John McCain's recent lap around Europe and the Middle East--designed to flaunt his foreign policy chops hors Iraq--ended with a visit to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. On the anniversary of the war that ripped the transatlantic alliance apart, McCain made a point of noting that he and the man known as "Sarko l'Americain" have met three times now. Silly John. Though Sarkozy's decisive victory last May—consolidated by victories for his UMP party in June—finally put a conservative, pro-American pal in
5 comments
But Condoleezza Rice has been an abject failure at both of her government jobs, has never held elected office at any level, is a terrible public speaker, and is, you know, a single woman of a certain age, which means something unpleasant to a certain sort of GOP voter.
I just don't see how the worst national security advisor in American history and a failed secretary of state can be taken so seriously as what will, for McCain, be a president-in-the-waiting.
- rhubarbs
March 25, 2008 at 10:08am
So uh ... what are you trying to say?
- arsonplus
March 25, 2008 at 11:08am
Agree, Rhu, how anyone could be peddling her as a possible veep is beyond me. The "We can top them with a black AND female candidate" is just too blatant. And surely someone will come out with a "9/11: Why Condoleeza Slept" book.
- jm_rice
March 25, 2008 at 11:09am
jm_rice, that book has already been written. It's called the 9/11 Commission Report. Condi slept because, as she told the Commission, those damn national security bureaucrats kept coming to her with warnings of imminent attacks, not with concrete suggestions for what to do about them. Typical MBA management in which employees are required to come to their superiors with solutions, not problems. Condi was quite open about saying that she didn't see it her job to offer advise about how to solve national security problems. If Richard Clarke or one of the chicken littles on her staff had told her what to do about al-Qaeda, she'd have done it.
Possibly the most shocking display of executive incompetence since the Buchanan administration. Or maybe she's tied with George W. Bush, whose response to an August 2001 briefing warning of imminent attacks on America using hijacked airplanes was to go outside and play. Literally.
- rhubarbs
March 25, 2008 at 11:46am
Sarokozy's "little arab girl", eh? A nice reminder that when it comes to racial issues, France is about 40 years behind the US. I wouldn't draw any comparisons between the US and such an inveterately racist and chauvinist culture as that of contemporary France.
Re McCain, I think it's increasingly clear that he has some undisclosed health issues and therefore must ensure his running mate is, at a minimum, a) young and b) in excellent physical shape. In his case, we really are voting for #2 as well as #1.
Also, McCain would be smart to put a person of color on the ticket. I still think choosing Bobby Jindal would be masterstroke. Risky, sure, but he steals just about all of Obama's thunder: at least as smart, rock-solid conservative cred, and with good executive experience, esp in the health care area.
- teplukhin2you
March 25, 2008 at 1:19pm