On Rice as a possible VP .... - Democratic Underground

H2O Man

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Mon Apr-07-08 12:25 PM
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On Rice as a possible VP ....

I want to take a minute to discuss the push by some republicans to put Condi Rice on the ticket with John McCain in the fall. At first glance, it might seem to be primarily an attempt to counter the democratic party’s having a black man and a woman as the two finalists in their presidential primary. And, in fact, that is certainly part of the reason why the republican party might embrace the proposal.

No matter who wins the democratic nod, the republicans are aware that Rice could present an alternative to the supporters of the losing democrat. The amount of hostility between the Clinton and Obama camps is capable of mutating into a fracture within the party, should the contest be decided at the convention.

Some people have pointed out that Condi has some glaring weaknesses. A few that stand out are the infamous April 8, 2004 film clip of 9/11 Commission Member Richard Ben-Veniste questioning Rice about a White House memo entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside United States," and a quote from Bob Woodward’s book "State of War":

"Even the president’s father had confided that he was unhappy with Rice. ‘Condi is a disappointment, isn’t she?’ the former president had offered, adding, ‘She’s not up to the job’." (page 420)

Rice has perhaps done a better job of protecting President Bush2 than his father would admit. She has been associated with several of the administration’s scandals, including the intelligence failures associated with 9/11, with the decision to invade and occupy Iraq, and also in the neocon/AIPAC espionage scandal. And she has managed to avoid any of the oversight that is mandated by the Constitution of the United States.

In the world of politics, it is always important to look behind the picture that is being presented by the players in Washington, DC. That includes the elected officials, unelected public servants, and the media, as well. As with the Plame scandal, we find that all too often, there are "behind the scenes" attempts to manipulate the public. There are private channels between government and the media, including the dangerous overlap between intelligence operatives and "journalists." Judith Miller is but one obvious example.

On 9/11, as documented in Senator Robert Byrd’s book "Losing America" and numerous other sources, Vice President Dick Cheney installed a "shadow government." Only one branch of the three mandated by our Constitution is represented: the executive branch. Senator Byrd noted that the members of Congress were not notified about the action by VP Cheney; they only found out the next spring, when they read stories about this in the Washington Post.

Progressive and liberal democrats have likely noticed a general failure on the part of Congress to exercise its oversight authority in regard to the administration, and to take stands that would protect the Constitution from any danger posed by either foreign or domestic powers.

The seat of power for the shadow government rested in the Office of the Vice President. Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had gained enormous authority without the public’s knowledge or consent. As Joseph Wilson pointed out in his book, they created their own intelligence operations, which are beyond Congressional oversight. It was from this center of power that we can trace the lies about Iraqi WMD, such as the Niger yellow cake; the operation against Joseph and Valerie Wilson (which was called "Scooter’s black-op" within the White House); and also the neocon/AIPAC espionage scandal.

Last fall, the judge hearing the pretrial motions in the case of the two AIPAC intelligence operatives had allowed the defense request to subpoena 15 current or former top administration officials. These included Stephen Hadley, Richard Armitage, Marc Grossman, Paul Wolfowitz, and Douglas Feith. It also included Condi Rice.

These are people who have been involved at different levels in the Iraq war and the Plame scandal. Some, like Rice, had long-term relationships with one of the AIPAC defendants: Condi Rice worked at Rand Corporation along with Steven Rosen, who had a top-secret security clearance to work on projects for the CIA.

Had the espionage case continued to go forward, the federal courts might have exercised authority over the administration, unlike the Congress. However, recent events involving conflicts over witnesses and intelligence, has made it appear unlikely that the case will go forward. Certainly the Bush administration is unlikely to push to investigate itself.

The federal judge hearing the case, T.S. Ellis, appears to have done his part in derailing the prosecution. When we consider the 2008 elections, it is important to keep in mind that there is more than simply the next appointment to the US Supreme Court in play. Federal judges will be making decisions that will determine if the US Constitution will remain the foundation of of government, and if it will continue to provide protections to the citizens in this country.

The derailing of the case removes the most significant hurdle that Condi Rice faced in determining if she would continue to try to be a player in national politics. It was not a coincidence that when she faced being involved in the case, she told people that she was tired after serving in the two Bush2 terms, and has in the past couple of weeks decided otherwise.

John McCain has endorsed the "100 Year Plan" of the Bush-Cheney administration, in terms of remaining in Iraq. The neocon/AIPAC espionage scandal involved intelligence about the "threat" that Iran posed to the region.

The powers behind the scenes are absolutely opposed to allowing a democrat to be elected and to institute a significant shift in policy. They do not want to lose the White House, and the Office of the Vice President, which goes with it.

Expect to see further attempts to discredit Senator Barack Obama in areas related to the Bush-Cheney-McCain policy in Iraq, and to hear more about how Obama’s plans would allow Iran to become more dangerous than ever. These attempts to discredit and smear him will include the rants from the journalists who have been lying to us for years, as well as people posing as "concerned" democrats on the internet. Count on those lies, no matter if Rice is forced on McCain, or not.