News and Commentary Archive for June, 2006

June 1, 2006: Dr. Rice announces new Iran initiative.  Yesterday, Condi broke the news of a US offer to hold direct talks with Iran -- interestingly before the President himself did.  However, the offer was conditioned on the Iranians verifiably halting uranium enrichment.  Is this a case of the administration putting it's "best foot forward" with a new foreign policy initiative?  Or yet another demonstration of the pivotal role that Dr. Rice plays as our Secretary of State?  Or both?

June 4, 2006: Condi comes out to support "Race for the Cure"
Yesterday, at the 17th Annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation National Race for the Cure® on the National Mall, Dr. Rice came out to show her support and lead the pre-race rally warm-up with her personal trainer.  The Foundation's press release said:
Secretary Rice and her renowned personal trainer Thomas Tomlo led participants in the most memorable Race start to date.
In 1969, Dr. Rice's mother Angelena Rice was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually died in 1985.

June 4, 2006: Thank you! Texas GOP.
Condistas attending the Texas GOP Convention this weekend received a very warm welcome and many offers of support while in San Antonio.  We'll post the photos, and more, after Wendy Rogers, our Central Texas Chairperson returns home for a well-deserved rest.

June 6, 2006: Condi champions victims of global human trafficking.
The State Dept. estimates that close to one million individuals, primarily women and children, are victims of human trafficking "for forced labor, prostitution, military service and other purposes."  As the FIFA "World Cup" championship approaches, this year hosted in Germany -- a country where prostitution is legal, the State Department issued a report that added Iran and Syria to the list of countries that harbor human trafficking.  The international soccer championship, known as the "World Cup," is anticipated to be a magnet for sex workers, who are expected to flock to this year's event in Germany. (link)

The State Department's list of countries who participate in human trafficking -- and potentially could feed the demand for sex workers at the World Cup -- also includes Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Laos, Belize, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Sudan, Cuba and Myanmar as the "worst offenders" that potentially could face sanctions if immediate measures are not taken within 90 days.
"By calling to account any nation, friend or foe, that can and should do more to confront human trafficking, we are pressing countries into action," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the official presentation of the 290-page report.


Condistas at the Texas State Convention last weekend (June 2nd & 3rd) in San Antonio.  Support for Dr. Rice was phenomenal among the delegates and other Texas Republicans.  From L to R: Denise Resendez, Tony Story, Wendy Rogers (TX chairperson), Jessie Jane Duff (Nat'l Chairperson), Jim Ulmer, and Nicole Collins.  Thanks to everybody who helped or came by the table.  And a very special "thank you" to Wendy who put it all together! 

Jessie Jane Duff (AFR National Chairperson), JC Watts (former Congressman from OK), and Nicole Collins (New Mexico Chairperson) at Texas State GOP Convention June 2nd.

June 9, 2006: Condi to address Southern Baptist Convention.
On June 14th, Dr. Rice will be speaking to the annual gathering of the second largest religious denomination in the US, second only to the Catholic Church.  It is an honor that President Bush had last year, and on 3 prior occasions, as well. (Baptist Press, AP, CondiBlog)

June 11, 2006: Chicago-area Condistas get together next weekend.
Wes Fowler is organizing a gathering in Chicago for Condi 2008 supporters.  You can e-mail him for the details.  Look for an update on CondiBlog soon.

June 13, 2006: Camp David Iraq War Summit  ends.  Condi to appear on Capitol Hill.
Although we expect no major policy changes as a result, the death of Al-Zarqawi punctuates the progress made in Iraq -- as much as the main stream media would like to ignore it.  After the President conferred with his top advisors for the past two days at Camp David, Dr. Rice, and others, will be making the rounds on Capitol Hill this afternoon.  (link)

Unfortunately, you can expect more partisan vitriol from the Democrats and more demands to "cut and run" from the likes of Rep. John Murtha.  On ABC's Good Morning America (GMA) yesterday, he was already suggesting that now was a "perfect time" to begin troop withdrawals.  While we are anxious to see our troops come home, premature withdrawals would only endanger the remaining troops by falsely signaling a lack of resolve to the insurgents and our Iraqi allies -- much in the same way Congressman Murtha's public statements have done.  However, we did agree with one statement, quoted by AP, made by the elderly Congressman, a 32-year veteran of the House,  "People want a change in this country ... a change in direction."  Right after we heard that, we visited Diana Irey's website.  She's the GOP candidate for Congress from Pennsylvania's 12th district, Congressman Murtha's seat.


Dr. Rice address the Southern Baptist Convention, June 14, 2006.

June 16, 2006: Condi "charms" Southern Baptists.
On Wednesday morning, the 14th, at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Dr. Rice stepped up to the podium to address almost 12,000 delegates, or "messengers," at the annual gathering of the second largest religious denomination in the US.  (Roman Catholicism is the largest.)  The reception and the warm, enthusiastic response to her speech were a clear affirmation of the support for the way the Secretary of State is carrying out American Foreign policy and for the woman of faith who has been described as the "Most Powerful Woman in the World" and "Master of the Universe" in the secular main stream press.  (video, audio) Her description of how her personal journey of faith is an integral part of her personal and professional lives resonated with the audience -- who burst into a spontaneous chorus of "God Bless America"  at the end of her speech.  (Why was this was cut from the video posted on the State Dept. website?)

Press reaction was generally positive, but in the case of the main stream media -- largely muted.  Interestingly, the headline Rice Charms Baptists was used, independently, by Nancy McLaughlin of the Greensboro News-Record and Yonat Simon of the Raleigh News & Observer. (News-Record, audio, News-Observer) Much of what was reported focused on McLaughlin's interview and Dr. Rice's response to a question about her views on gay marriage.
Well, look, this is not my area of expertise or, frankly, my area of concentration at this point. I do think that this is an issue that can be debated and can be discussed in our country with respect for every human being. And when we get into difficult debates about social policy, we get into difficult debates that touch people's lives, the only thing that I ask is that Americans do it with a kind of sensitivity that real individuals and real human beings are involved here.

The Associated Press described this as having "ducked" the question. (link) What did they expect?  She is the cabinet officer in charge of foreign policy, not social policy.  She has learned, as in the "thousands of mistakes" brouhaha about the Iraq War, that if what she says differs in ANY way from administration policy it sets off a firestorm of press activity trying to show disarray in the Bush White House and Cabinet.  Likewise, if she parrots administration policy, then she's open to criticism as Bush's "puppet."  So, for the foreseeable future she's going to stick to foreign policy, as much as possible, because her policy is the administration policy.  For example, when asked by the editor of SBC Life, John Revell, about US foreign policy and advancing the "culture of life," Dr. Rice touched on abortion but was careful to keep her answer within the realm of foreign policy.  (transcipt)  The rest will have to wait until we're a lot closer to the election.

June 20, 2006: Condi to North Korea: Think twice before pushing that "launch" button.
At least, that was the message when the Secretary of State's remarks yesterday were "translated" from the diplomatic niceties reported in a Forbes article.  In the past, when Dr. Rice spoke "softly" everyone assumed the implied "big stick" she carried was the US military because she had the President's ear. But now, it is something much more frightening because it would be analogous to "letting the genie out of the bottle."  Once US allies in the Far East feel that the US nuclear "umbrella" no longer is adequate protection, how long will it be before they seek their own nuclear weapons and delivery systems?  Does anyone doubt that the technological and industrial powerhouses of Japan, Taiwan, or South Korea could produce a nuclear arsenal in short order?

During the Cold War, a central question was, "Would the United States nuclear arsenal be used to defend western Europe against the Soviet Union?"  To reassure our NATO allies, and to prevent them from "hedging their bets"  by making overtures to the USSR, we developed the so-called "tactical nuclear weapons" based in Europe.  More than a few NATO allies wondered if a US President would risk "Mutually Assured Destruction" (MAD) of the US mainland in a defense of Europe by launching US-based ICBM's against a Soviet invasion.  The exact "command and control" of those Cold War "tactical nuclear weapons" is still classified, but the threat they posed held the numerically superior Warsaw pact forces at bay until the Cold War ended.

Today, other than in South Korea (under US control), there is no equivalent "tactical nuclear" arsenal in the Far East.  (At least not one that is publicly acknowledged, anyway.)  However, with the launch of a North Korean long-range missile against which the US can offer no defense other than deterrence, how long do you think it will be before Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, or even Australia launches its efforts to join the nuclear club?  (Gee, maybe President Reagan's concept of a "Star Wars" defense system wasn't so far-fetched after all.)  Perhaps this explains the recent Chinese moves to improve relations with Israel -- the first place most pro-Western allies would go shopping for nuclear technology on the sly.

Much of our strategy with regards to North Korea is based on China exerting pressure on the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.  Although the Chinese control almost all overland routes into the Communist state, they have little to gain by "putting the screws" to their neighbor -- it would only increase the refugee traffic from the North Korean socialist wonderland escaping, already rampant, starvation.  Further, it has been suggested that the Chinese are eagerly awaiting the North Korean launch of a long range missile to monitor the response of the US military and how we track such threats.  Are we dependent on satellites?  What VLF (very low frequency) submarine communications occur?  What real-time data do we acquire and with whom do we share it?  Is there any evidence of a high-energy particle beam system?  (Remember how long the "Stealth Bomber" technology was kept under wraps in the Nevada desert during the Cold War?)

All of this reminds us of the famous Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."  Let's hope that North Koreans pay attention to Dr. Rice's admonitions and "keep the genie in the bottle."

June 30, 2006: A "Frank Exchange"
Frequently, "diplospeak," the language spoken by diplomats (especially when talking to the press) can be confusing to us mere mortals.  In what will become a text book example of what diplomats and their press secretaries refer to as a "frank exchange" occurred yesterday when a microphone was left open (probably by a technician who'll be transferred to Radio Siberia on Monday morning!) during lunch at the G8 Ministerial Meeting in Moscow yesterday.  We're looking for a copy of the audio file to post ASAP.  (Anne Gearan's AP article, Nicholas Kralev's Washington Times article, MSNBC article, Washington Post article)