Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Rachel Maddow puts her finger on the REAL reason for the constant GOP attacks on Ambassador Susan Rice.
I had already been convinced that this desire to get their hands on John Kerry's Senate seat had to be the underlying reason for this bizarre fake outrage over the talking points that Susan Rice shared on those Sunday morning news shows right after the Benghazi attacks.
Yesterday Rachel only confirmed that theory for me.
And then today Susan Rice met with Republican Senator Susan Collins, who then brought up a whole new set of reasons for NOT supporting Rice's appointment as Secretary of State:
Collins also noted that Rice was working at the State Department in 1998 — and was the assistant secretary for African Affairs — when U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed. Requests for additional security at both outposts had been denied and Collins said she asked Rice on Wednesday whether she had been involved in those decisions.
“She [Rice] said she would have to refresh her memory, but that she was not directly involved in turning down the request,” Collins said. But the senator said Rice must have been aware of the requests.
So to be clear, now that they are losing traction with the Benghazi excuse for questioning Susan Rice's qualifications, they are now going ALL the way back to 1998 to find a reason.
Seriously?
And if that were not enough of a tell, then Collins followed that statement up with this:
"I think John Kerry would be an excellent appointment and will be easily confirmed by his colleagues."
And there you have it. The argument now is that Susan Rice is a deeply flawed candidate, for a number of evolving hard to define reasons, but damn that John Kerry, who the Republicans have NEVER supported for ANYTHING, sure makes a fine choice for Secretary of State. And what a coinky dink, his appointment also opens up a very valuable Senate seat.
Give me a fucking break! This could not be more obvious if they had "We want John Kerry's Senate seat!" tattooed on their foreheads.
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Making Susan Rice the sacrificial lamb in pursuit of their political gains is vile beyond reason. To loudly and publicly castigate her the way they are is character assassination, pure and simple.
ReplyDeleteAnd especially SHAME ON the WOMEN that are partaking in this heinous behavior, going after a vibrant, successful woman, it just sickens me. I gave Collins more credit than that, but I won't again.
Gender has nothing to do with political maneuvering--at least, it shouldn't. Do men hang back when attacking other men?
DeleteThey want to jam through Scott Brown again, this time in Kerry's seat. How clever, Ayotte, you teabag lady. Fuck all three of you assholes.
ReplyDeleteAnd believe me, Obama is on to their scheme and Obama is smarter than that. I have confidence in our president to see through this scheme..go Rice go!
DeleteKerry needs to stay in the Senate to fend off the malicious hordes of conservatives, and to hopefully, ass-smack John McCain!
I think the GOP has just ruined ANY chance of Kerry being selected as a SOS candidate. If they hadn't been so stinking obvious about it, Kerry might have actually had a chance. His only hope now is that Obama selects someone to "hold the fort" until the midterms.
ReplyDeleteI like Kerry and either he or Susan Rice would perform well as SOS (IMO).
I'd even reach over to the dark side and say Jon Huntsman could most likely handle the job.
I think Obama should throw them all for a loop and reinstate Gen. Colin Powell until 2014 at least. Actually, I'd just like to see the GOPs have a fit over that... not that it would happen.
Well, you know, you might be on to something. Powell did stick his neck out and support Obama. Although I really don't think he stuck his neck out that far, everyone knew he supported Obama in 2008.
DeleteAnd way back when, (2000) all the Rethug conservatives thought Powell was the perfect choice for secretary of state, what could be their argument against him now?? (Except that he's gone over to the dark side, and I DON'T mean that to be a bad racial pun!) You know what I mean!
Rove, Rice, Cheney, Rumsfeld set Powell up for sure. They sent him before the U.N. with his vile of uranium (which it really wasn't) to convince the U.N. that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. He didn't. But they sent Powell out there to be the patsy, because everybody believed everything Powell had to say. They used the man, pure and simple. He finally, thankfully, realized that in 2005 and resigned.
Bottom line: Obama get Powell on board. Let's hear the conservatives twist this around!
Senator Susan Collins Goes Back To Africa To Raise Questions About Susan Rice Nomination
ReplyDeleteThe issue of the 1998 bombings were not an issue during Dr Rice’s confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., which was achieved through unanimous consent on Jan. 22, 2009.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/senator-susan-collins-goes-back-to-africa-to-raise-questions-about-susan-rice-nomination/
Where the fuck was John McCain when John Kerry, an honorably serving and honorably discharged veteran from Vietnam was being 'swift boated' during the 2004 campaign? That slimy, sleazy piece of garbage McCain NEVER came to Kerr's defence, never spoke out against the malicious lies the swift-boaters told. McCain never defended a fellow Vietnam veteran and for that, I will never forgive or defend John McCain. He's a piece of fucking filthy garbage. He deserves to go to hell.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteI thought Kerry was going to get Secretary of State OR Secretary of Defense. Doesn't matter which one he gets, it vacates his seat. So why the fuss over SOS
ReplyDeleteVacating Kerry's seat is in their scheme! They can try and run that neanderthal Rethug Scott Brown into it. That's why I am so for NOT choosing Kerry for Secretary of State. He needs to stay where he is. He can do more good in the Senate.
DeleteSusan Rice for secretary of state. She's intelligent and qualified for the position. Don't back down, Barack! Don't give in to McCain's scheme.
But if he is apppointed Sect's of Defense, instead of Sect'y of STate, it still vacates his seat. So they don't need to go after Susan Rice. Kerry is in the cabinet anyway.
Deletehttp://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/28/15516645-john-kerry-and-the-prospect-of-an-empty-ma-senate-seat?lite
DeleteGreat minds think alike! At Thanksgiving with my mostly republican family I stated my theory about them attempting to discredit Rice, because the Repubs wanted Kerry (who is a proven unelectable presedential candidate) for SoS so they could get his Senate Seat. They all thought I was crazy.
ReplyDeleteThey thought I was crazy 4 years ago when BO chose Hillary as SoS and I said BO has cut a deal with the Clintons. He will give her SoS and Bill will campaign for BO for his 2nd term. HC shored up her foreign policy cred, Bill campaigned hard for BO, and after HC's one term, she will write a book, "freshen" her look, do the talk show circuit and start running for pres in late 2014. Oh yeah, she WILL be the first woman presedent.
I agree with your positions. Your instincts are the same as mine.
DeleteI'm being picky but Lawrence O'Donnell brought Kerry's Senate seat into the equation of the Rice brouhaha days ago. Surprised Rachel didn't credit him with the theory.
ReplyDeleteAdding to John McCain's personal reasons to lie about Susan Rice:
"“His tendency is to shoot first and ask first questions later, it is dangerous and we can’t afford four more years of this reckless foreign policy,” Susan Rice said to reporters about McCain in August 2008."
http://washingtonexaminer.com/susan-rice-repeatedly-criticized-mccain-as-dangerous-and-reckless-during-2008-campaign/article/2513552?custom_click=#.ULaxDYX-iew
It's been in the rumor mill in Boston since Hillary announced that she wasn't going to serve again if Obama was re-elected. The rumor picked up steam with about a month left in the campaign as it became apparent that Obama was holding in the polls.
DeleteThey keep forgetting they are playing politics with a Chicago politician who is arguably better at the game than Richard Daley ever was.
ReplyDeleteOh you go thtat right! I really hope that our president and Sen. Kerry see through their 'game.' I'm confident that they do.
DeleteYup, they play checkers while the President is playing chess
DeleteYep. Obama cut his political teeth in Chicago politics, and survived unscathed from that cesspool of political sludge. But he learned well and he can pull out that experience in a heartbeat, if need be, but only if need be.
DeleteTime and time again, they think they've 'got him' and he just dances around them. It happens over and over again where they play the short game, and Obama plays the long game, and in time, Obama turns out repeatedly to have been the winner all along, though he let the GOP think they were, until it hits them that they've been brilliantly played by Obama's 9th Dimension chess game. And they NEVER learn, they just keep doing it and Obama just keeps smacking them down.
It's pretty much par for the course these days that the first person that the President puts out for any kind of major position gets shot down. I'm sure his #2 and even #3 picks are the person he really wants in the position. Oh, and has anyone even heard if Kerry even wants the job of SOS?
ReplyDeletewhat about her investment in Tar Sands?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/28/1165483/-Susan-Rice-s-issue-is-not-Benghazi
And I read somewhere that John McCain and John Kerry were 'good friends.' Are you kidding me?? Why didn't McCain speak out against the obvious lies,distortions and false accusation against Kerry in 2004 lobbed by the Bush (Rove) campaign? They swift-boated Kerry, an honorably discharged veteran of Vietnam. But McCain, the chickenshit that he is, said NOTHING! Fuck McCain! Fuck that piece of garbage all to hell and he can take Sarah Palin with him...and let me tell you how I really feel!
ReplyDeleteWith them showing their hands so obviously, Obama would be a fool to nominate Kerry.
ReplyDeleteUnless Obama uses Kerry as a bargaining chip over the budget.
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/28/15516645-john-kerry-and-the-prospect-of-an-empty-ma-senate-seat?lite
ReplyDeleteOT OMG Am I reading this right?
ReplyDelete"U.S. bans BP from new government contracts after oil spill deal." The suspension, announced by the Environmental Protection Agency, comes on the heels of BP's November 15 agreement with the U.S. government to plead guilty to criminal misconduct in the Gulf of Mexico disaster, the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/28/us-bp-contracts-idUSBRE8AR0M120121128
Happy dance with tears in my eyes!
It's nice to see reporting like this - well done Rachel.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how this makes sense. It's Massachusetts. Even if Kerry left his seat, the chances of a Republican winning are very small. Yes Brown won before, but so what, it's still Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteYes but they want that seat VERY VERY bad so they are going to try at any chance they can get to re-gather strength one by one by one. And that's exactly what the tea party did too by the way. The repubs NEVER let up and if that's one thing that democrats are learning after the 2010 mid elections that we HAVE to beat them at their own game. Give them an inch - they will take 10 miles. We will never let up now.
DeleteWell I've been commenting all over the internet everywhere I could for weeks now ever since John & Lindsey at the get-go decided to attack/smear Rice that the reason was because they want Kerry to vacate his seat so Brown can take it over. Nice to see it finally hit the big media! I'm beginning to think our voices DO count.
ReplyDelete-Colleen
I hope the President picks Susan Rice and gets enough votes for her to pass. She's more than qualified. The GOP better get it's ass in gear or they'll get their ass handed to them. The hashtag My2K, calling and writing was a smart move. Their servers crashed and the phones rang off the hooks.
ReplyDeleteI am more worried about this stuff about her:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/obama-secretary-state-candidate-has-significant-financial-stake-tar-sands-companies.html