What do YOU think of Condoleezza Rice?

They played that interview today in Holland. It was very interesting. The bottom line, the expansion of democracy to increase safety in the US. I think she is right.

 

So, you wake up next to the prettiest girl that you ever laid eyes on? Could it be that in younger days the folks around Brownsville call her Delta Dawn?

 

Opinions on Condi?

As someone coming from a segregated place? Outstanding

As a woman and person: Besides appearing to be very driven and charismatic, I know nothing of her.

As an academician: Brilliant

As NS advisor and currently as Secretary of State? She had to face extemely difficult situations, notably 9-11. IMHO, she suffers from a syndrome I've seen several times in American Leaders: There's America, and then there's the rest. This is, again in my opinion, deeply embedded in the Founding Fathers'vision of USA: a country with their eyes turned inward. As a consequence, America is the freest country in the world(even with the Patriot Act), a land of opportunity for millions along its history, and the richest nation in history. Nonetheless, America has struggled to find a coherent way of dealing with the rest(where 6 billions souls live). This is why American Governments have done things they would never do to its own citizens, such as covert operations against democratic governments and the support for dictatorships that represent the opposite of what America stands for).

So, I think Condi will continue to struggle with the fact that most of her knowledge of the international society and environment comes from research and books, but most of all she will probably fall prey to what I exposed in the previous paragraph.

This is not to say that other important governments are perfect: opposition to the Iraq War by three of them, Germany, France and Russia, did'nt come because of ethical or political considerations. The 3 of them had huge business and financial interests at stake, and the Russian Government in particular is no model of observance of international law and human rights, as people from Chechnia can tell you.

However, America has always been a model, both due to its influence in world affairs as for its democratic system, and should think twice before embarking in some adventure, such as the one in Iraq(a war I personally supported and one that nowadays assaults my concience). It is very sad to see the reputation of people such as Condi or Powell severely damaged for having advocated action against Iraq on noexistent grounds.

I hope her the best because I sincerely find her outstanding, but she will still face very difficult situations.