This Susan Rice thing is really starting to piss me off.

[Stinky The Clown]

First, I have several others who I would prefer as SoS, with Susan Rice no higher than three on my shortlist. But that's for reasons having ZERO to do with the hammering of her that is going on now.

Shame on McCain and Graham (and their cute new little groupie, Kelly Ayote) for ganging up on Susan Rice. Each one of these fuckwads has a very PERSONAL reason to do the grandstanding they're doing.

For Gramps, it is about obscure term limits and fading relevance. There are, as it happens, term limits on Senate committee assignments. Gramps is the ranking minority member of the Armed Services Committee, but that will be changing come January. He has been around so damned long that he can only qualify for a far more low profile committee. (Not sure, but I think it is Indian Affairs, or something similar.) That's why he wants this to go to a special Watergate like committee. He wants a high profile thing and we all know that these open ended investigative committees serve no purpose other than the aggrandizement of the chair and ranking member. Well fuck that, and fuck you, Johnny.

Gomer has a whole other set of issues. He's getting ready to run for reelection. In South Carolina. You know, Tea Bag Heaven. If he doesn't act sufficiently crazy he will be primaried by a true crazy. So it behooves Gomer for Gomer to act the fool to stay in the good graces of the fool caucus of his constituents. See, here's the thing. Susan Rice is also from South Carolina. She's a Rhode Scholar and the daughter of prominent and well respected South Carolinian. Gomer knows her, knows her family, and knows fucking A-well she is as honorable and capable a person as one could want. Gomer's just grandstanding. Well fuck that, and fuck you, Gomer.

Kelly. Just shut the fuck up and stay off camera. The wet behind your ears really catches the light when you're on camera.

Be all that as it may, the optics of this ought to be anathema to the newly socially aware repubicans. How good do they think they look when two angry white guys are beating up on the black girl. To be sure, Susan Rice's race and gender matter not a whit. Except when they do. The repubicans just got their electoral asses kicked by women and people of color. I guess, being the tone deaf fucks they are, this should be no surprise.

Anyway, what is starting to happen now is that many other lesser known voices are throwing in with Gramps and Gomer. A bunch of back bench repubicans from the House and the Senate are amping up the cry against Rice. They even have the audacity - the unbelievable, amazing chutzpah - to say that *their* Ms. Rice was okay with her "mushroom cloud" bullshit, but our Ms. Rice is wrong to say what it was she was told by the intelligence services, apparently bent on keeping something secret - like maybe their own fuckups.

Meanwhile, there she is. Susan Rice. Unable to defend herself because, quite simply, no matter *what* she says, the rabid media junkyard dogs will be all over it, spinning it to fit their narrative.

And *that* is what pisses me off.



For the record . . . . . Wes Clark.

[Barack_America]

1. It's a shame. I met her in 2008 and she was lovely.

And very smart.

[panAmerican]

2. Why hasn't SoS Clinton said anything on her behalf?

I know that she can't seem to project partiality towards her potential replacement, but I find her silence curious.

[still_one]

6. It is an on-going investigation. The CIA approved of what she said. The republicans are going down

with this. When their refusal to provide more funding for embassy security, and their grandstanding on this tragedy, I suspect most people will not look favorably upon them. Just another nail in the republican downfall

[Cha]

22. SOS has been on an Asian Tour with President Obama the

last few days.


President Obama receives a floral tribute upon his arrival at Phnom Penh International Airport for the ASEAN Summit, November 19

http://theobamadiary.com/

They were in Thailand yesterday..

[panAmerican]

24. I'm well aware of the trip; that's not the point

The republicans have been chewing this bone for several weeks now, and zeroed in on Susan Rice for quite a while. I don't understand why Clinton stays mum as well.

[Celebration]

3. Except for the crazy people

Nobody is paying attention to this faux outrage. Seriously, didn't you see the recent approval numbers? This just makes them look stupid.

[NightOwwl]

29. Unfortunately, Fox still has the power to repeat misinformation

until the mainstream media picks it up. I see that CBS and NBC have now begun to report that 'the talking points will be investigated.'

However, we have the power of social media now, so it is much easier to point out their lies and hypocrisy. We also have an electorate that told the Republicans to f*ck off.

Not many people know the Republicans voted to cut funding for embassy security, but if this investigation moves forward, they'll find out soon enough. It will also remind people how Bush failed to protect 3000 Americans on 9/11/2001 and how they continue to defend the other Rice, who lied continuously about mushroom clouds and wmds.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

[WCGreen]

40. Paid media is fading away...

The news and yak shows are playing to an increasingly smaller part of the population.

The idea that the only information that gets out to us has to be filtered through the billionaire owners of the media is become almost ridiculous in this day and age of almost universal access to the internet and all that it offers.

On any given night only about 10% watch the media.

This last Sunday, only ten million eyeballs watched the network yacknews on the networks. And a lot of those eyeballs watched more than one show so that 10% could easily be say less than 8% of the of the population.

[NightOwwl]

53. Well said.

"The idea that the only information that gets out to us has to be filtered through the billionaire owners of the media is become almost ridiculous in this day and age of almost universal access to the internet and all that it offers."

[pwb]

4. Look this over Stinky.

&feature=watch-vrec

The second link is different, you will like it.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/06/nation/na-aviator6

Some hero...

[quinnox]

5. Yea, and I don't want Rice for SOS either, she is damaged goods at this point

I would like to see John Huntsman as SOS, but if not him, then Clark is good too. From what I have seen of Rice, I'm not impressed - at all - to say the least.

[still_one]

7. Why would you want a republican for SOS?

[quinnox]

9. John Huntsman is not just any republican

He is a rare bird, someone who is intelligent, and I was mightily impressed by the themes in his presidential campaign. He talked about concentrating on rebuilding things here at home, and other things. He is an experienced diplomat, and worked for Obama already. He would be a fine choice. Yea, I'm a big fan of Huntsman. He really should consider joining the Democratic party, IMHO.

[chowder66]

20. Have you read the Huntsman 2012 Proposal? Reduce corporate taxes, Repeal AFA

He is also a big pusher/backer of marketing pyramid schemes and signed a bill deregulating them in Utah.

http://www.jon2012.com/jon-email/TimeToCompete.pdf



To start, Jon Huntsman’s proposal calls for Congress to repeal both the Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank, since universal health-care coverage and a regulated financial sector aren’t priorities for the Huntsman administration. Huntsman would then push for a dramatic reduction in the power and authority of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Labor Relations Board, in order to curb the “excesses” of federal regulation.

Huntsman doesn’t say anything about Medicaid spending, Medicare cost control, or the Social Security shortfall, but given his commitment to extending the Bush tax cuts and lowering taxes on the wealthy, it’s not unreasonable to think that he supports some variation on the Paul Ryan plan, which slashes entitlements and social spending and funnels the savings toward tax cuts for the wealthy.

Indeed, as ThinkProgress found, Huntsman’s tax policies would raise taxes on poor and working-class Americans, including seniors. To achieve the revenue necessary to offset his tax cuts, Huntsman would have to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit and tax any income from veterans' pensions, disability benefits, and Social Security payments.


http://prospect.org/article/seriously-jon-huntsman-not-moderate

[quinnox]

21. well, when I saw him on tv in debates he said nothing of this kind

of malarkey. He had themes of rebuilding America, and recognized we have a crumbling infrastructure that needs to be tended to. He never said anything like those claims in that article. I would have to hear him say this stuff before I believe what sounds like a hit piece on Huntsman!

[chowder66]

30. No he may not have said it in the debates but he put into a plan and that alone should cause you

to think twice and investigate more.

The plan is right there for you to read. That is not a hit piece.

Here is a post that respects Jon Huntsman but takes issue with his proposal
They cover just a few points.

http://diggapedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/deconstructing-jon-huntsman-analysis-of.html

[satxdem]

32. thank you!

This idea going around that Jon Hunstman was a moderate and/or liberal republican is simply not true. He was a little more giving on social issues, but economics etc., very conservative. He was a conservative governor.

[chowder66]

41. I took a look at Huntsman after I saw him on Realtime

I thought he could be the best pick for the Republicans at the time but he started changing his tune shortly after, then he went back to the more moderate position again. (I had no intention of voting for him btw... but was interested in whether he was an actual "real life" reasonable pick for the Republicans...which would have indicated a shift to sanity). In the end I saw too many problems and didn't buy it. He is better on social issues than the other candidates they put up and at least he put a plan out - I will give him that.. but barely... considering the plan is the same old Republican supply side crap and de-regulation.

[BlueCaliDem]

33. You're not going to change that one's mind. He's a diehard Huntsman fan, through and through.

I know this because I've tried:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1817507

[satxdem]

44. lol.

I know bluecalidem, on pretty much any post they bring up giving Jon Hunstman a job in the administration. Never mind the fact that he had one and quit to hopefully run against the president.

[chowder66]

45. Thanks. I think your response is what made me think to post more about him.

I'm baffled that he is seen as a moderate. Just because he is moderate on some social issues doesn't speak at all to the rest of his platform which much of it has already been tried and has failed us as a country considerably.

[CreekDog]

55. so you were running down Rice on DU with OP's last week because you wanted Huntsman?

why didn't you say that then?

i think you played a little game with us.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. Damaged goods because you believe John McCain and the Beltway Media, or

did you really see Rice for herself and were not already influenced by media spin? For if you really saw Ms Rice and gave her a fair chance, you wouldn't be writing her off.

[quinnox]

10. I read about the things she said and she made mistakes

in what she said during Benghazi. Even if it wasn't her fault, and she was just reciting a script, it still makes her look pretty bad IMHO.

[riderinthestorm]

14. She was reading from a script and since she was provided false talking points, its not her fault

So why in hell does SHE look bad?

I really want to know how you can possibly think that any of this is HER fault? Why should her career be derailed by the lies the CIA fed her?

[quinnox]

15. what can I say, that is politics

its a strange business where image can be everything. This is just my opinion about Rice and the Benghazi business, maybe she will do just fine and no ill effects will follow on her political career. I could be wrong.

[riderinthestorm]

43. Your opinion that she looks bad is based entirely on Rethug talking points, you know that right?

You are aligning yourself with McCain and Graham who are willfully and deliberately refusing to acknowledge their gross error.

Are you sure you want to continue with this position, especially when its been shown to be demonstrably false?

I 110% believe Susan Rice's career is doomed with the grandstanding by McCain and Graham - they are on a political witch hunt and examining why they are trying to take her down would be informative for you. I advise trying to learn a bit about why they're doing this...

[CreekDog]

56. it's your politics and McCain's and Graham's

and it's dishonest.

[grasswire]

19. where's the unrec button?

How could she possibly look bad here?

[ancianita]

35. The CIA looks bad. You look bad to swallow McCain's crapola. Seriously?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

50. Well, Rachel pretty much debunks the anti-Rice rhetoric...

I think we should listen to her:

http://www.politicususa.com/rachel-maddow-smacks-john-mccain-you-youre-talking-about.html

[BlueMTexpat]

17. She is only "damaged goods" if you believe McCain.

Which I do NOT. And no one with two or more functioning brain cells should believe ANY R. No to Huntsman and No to Clark. No more Rs and no more military for SOS in a Dem Admin. As a former SOS employee myself - I say NO WAY NO HOW!!!

I've been pissed off about this whole pseudo-issue from the outset, as are many that I know who can't speak on a forum like this. When Rs can ruin the career of a special OPs CIA (outing Valerie Plame) without ANY consequences, publicize classified information (Issa & co), completely fail national security (as did Condoleezza - the "other Rice, Bush & his whole Neocon outfit), condone torture, lie us into a devastating war, practically destroy a major US city (NOLA) and almost completely sabotage our economy, how DARE these people make noise about Benghazi - especially when it was the R-dominated Congress that refused to fund security at US embassies!!!

Shame on them! How DARE they!

I'm STILL waiting for the REAL answers about 9-11-2001 and it's been 11 years! THAT was clearly on the Rs' watch and their failures then were responsible for the deaths of thousands! ON OUR OWN SOIL! Give us a break if complete answers haven't been immediately forthcoming in a matter of weeks about Benghazi - which is several thousand miles away.

Yes, Benghazi was a tragedy, but it is nowhere near comparable to the MANY Embassy attacks and loss of life on R watches. Check the history, for God's sake. Raygun even invaded Grenada to get people's minds off the Beirut tragedy. Some people seem to have the memories of hamsters. And I apologize in advance to hamsters ...

Susan Rice is the LAST person to be blamed for Benghazi. Anyone here on DU who DOES blame her is definitely NOT a Dem!

[ancianita]

36. Amen, fellow Dem!

[satxdem]

42. +1

Thank you!

[nolabels]

46. Actually she looks like very good choice

But i am willing to bet President Obama will let the republicans swing in the wind for awhile no matter what he does. The part they hate worst about her is that she is brave and smart. To me it looks like McCain has her on the hate list is because of the ease she help dismantle his run for POTUS. McCain the mental midget fails to realize it was his own stupidity that did him in, she was just helping him along.

Susan Rice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Rice

[spanone]

25. damaged goods....bwahahahahahaaa good one.

[jberryhill]

51. Service to your island is getting pretty regular....

Your helm, Admiral.

[CreekDog]

54. So you post against Rice for days and then tell us you want a Republican SoS?

can you get any more obvious?

[gravity]

11. It is making the Republicans look crazy

I also don't think she would be blocked for SoS. The last thing the Republicans want to do after the election is to block a black female over a very stupid reason.

[Auntie Bush]

12. Wes Clark does it for me.

With all his expertise and prestige...he belongs in Obama's cabinet! How about SoD?

But, I hate the way they are treating Rice and I wouldn't like for them to think for one minute that they were successful.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. ". . . . and I wouldn't like for them to think for one minute that they were successful."

That's the dichotomy in all this. The tough guy part of me says we nominate her and tell them to go fuck themselves. The thinking part of me wants Wes Clark.

[JustAnotherGen]

52. +1

To you and stinky the clown both.

Around my family he's known as "Uncle Wes". Truly brilliant man, but also has a sense of humor and wisdom . . .

[Auntie Bush]

57. You know him personally? nt

[grasswire]

16. Dems ought to keep reminding America that the State Dept request for addl $

...was refused by Republicans.

[BlueCaliDem]

34. And they ought to do it FREQUENTLY. It's also the reporter's job to correct the Repubs

when they bring up this crap. So, why aren't they?

[noiretextatique]

39. yep...these posturing, pompous, hypocrites

should have that fact thrown in their faces everytime they open their lying mouths.

[butterfly77]

18. K&R...

[Whisp]

23. Great post. Loved the tone.

[11 Bravo]

26. "The wet behind your ears really catches the light when you're on camera". Well played, Stinky!

Damn, I wish I had said that!

[elfin]

27. thank you for summing up my thoughts

I think you are on the right track -- except I have become more tepid on Clark since my original enthusiasm ( with a few $ during the very early 2008 primary season). Became disenchanted after he pimped himself out on too many cable programs to suit me.

I, too, would welcome a Huntsman nomination and would expect international issues would trump any strange domestic policies he may have espoused during the weird 2012 primaries. I think he is REALLY smart, and deeply informed on the Pacific region, where the future looms.

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. me too. That's how they operate. First holder, now Rice.

[Fuddnik]

31. Obama could quash this by appointing McDepends to Secretary of Latrines or something.

No, wait. He was in the Navy. Inspector General of Heads.

Gomer? I don't even want to go there.

[Tx4obama]

37. Kelley Ayotte ...

... was on TV earlier today. Don't remember if it was CNN or MSNBC.

I'm hoping to find a clip of the interview on the net so that I can count how many times she said: '' ... bottom ... "
while she was referring to getting to the bottom of the issue.

She must have said it TWENTY times. That word is the only thing that I can even remember her saying.




Edited to add...

I found it, it was on FoxNews. Wasn't twenty, only SIX.
But it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Start at the 1:57 minute mark

[Stinky The Clown]

48. She reminds me of a circus dog in a tutu standing on its hind legs doing tricks.

She sounds as if she lacks the capacity for original thought. She just does tricks and imitates others.

[on point]

38. It's the bully picking on the innocent kid because they can, and you're next intimidation game!

There is no there there. They need to be continually called out for the sickness they present.

[Milliesmom]

47. Indian Affairs? I don't think we want him anywhere near them.Remember the Navajo.

[dipsydoodle]

49. Thats how Russia and China felt following the UN resolution on Libya.

She organised some "fuzzy" wording on that which allowed action beyond its original intent.

[x2 vancouverite]

58. DURec