Condoleezza on Thin (R)ice

Condoleezza on Thin (R)ice


Condoleeza Rice and the British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw appeared on the BBC's Radio 4 program, and here are the Q&A. There is the Washington Post's coverage of the Condi and Jack road show. They also appeared on ITV. And during the interview Rice corrects herself regarding the "thousands of tactical mistakes."

QUESTION: So do you take no -- you acknowledge thousands of tactical mistakes. Do you accept no responsibility that those mistakes have contributed towards the killing and the bereavement that those in Iraq endure.

SECRETARY RICE: Well, first of all, I guess it's not possible to use a figure of speech rather than to be literal. I was being -- giving a figure of speech when I talked about thousands.

But of course I've certainly made mistakes. You can't make decisions without making mistakes.

As well as an insightful geography lesson from Secretary Rice.

QUESTION: But that doesn't -- when you say it's never taken off the table, the United States in the end does reserve, from your perspective, the right to take preemptive military action against Iran if you feel that that is the only way to ensure that they comply with what you regard as the proper outcome?

SECRETARY RICE: Let me be very clear and go to the bottom line.

QUESTION: Yeah.

SECRETARY RICE: Iran is not Iraq. I know that's what's on people's minds. Iran is not Iraq. The circumstances are different. We don't have 12 years of Security Council resolutions, a case in which a state attacked its neighbor or tried to annex its neighbor, as it did with Kuwait, where we were still in a state of war after the armistice in 1991. I just want to be very clear: Iran is not Iraq.

However, the President of the United States doesn't take his options off the table. We are committed to a diplomatic course because we believe that a diplomatic course can work.

Of course it should be noted that despite these scripted responses, the plan to bomb Iran is in the works. Of course, neither Rice or Snow care what Hans Blix has to say about Iran. (What the hell does he know?)As we learned with Iraq, the lack of WMD is not going to prevent the US and Britian from acting anyway they see fit. Of course, there is something other than geography that distinquishes Iran from Iraq; allies China and Russia. And from all indications, the Chinese and Russian judges haven't rewarded Condi's performace with a winning score.