Bush puts Rice in charge of post-conflict strategy

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14339312.htm

Bush puts Rice in charge of post-conflict strategy

WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday it had put the State Department in charge of U.S. efforts to stabilize and rebuild nations roiled by war or civil upheaval, a move seen aimed at avoiding the inter-agency bickering that plagued the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq.

U.S. President George W. Bush signed the directive last week giving Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the lead in stabilization and reconstruction missions, a White House statement said.

"(This will) empower the Secretary of State to improve coordination, planning and implementation for reconstruction and stabilization assistance for foreign states at risk of, in, or in transition from conflict or civil strife," it said.

The decision follows criticism of the Bush administration for poor planning after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Disagreement between the Pentagon and State Department over reconstruction and stabilization efforts was rife in the early months after the invasion.

[MsAnthropy]

1. They're fucked now

He, of course, picks the most incompetent person for every job

[saigon68]

17. She'd have trouble sorting paper clips

The Big ones in the red basket

The Small ones in the blue basket

[EFerrari]

2. "Bush Uses Rice as Human Sheild." n/t

[Loonman]

3. So much for Iraq, then

Condi will just fuck up royally then lie about it later.

[orwell]

4. Translation...

...Hey Condi, sweety babe. How about if I give you a shiny new country with training wheels on it so you can try your hand at (heh heh) "nation building." I know its "hard Work", but maybe it will prepare you for fixin' the US after I'm gone.

Love:

Dubya

PS: Don't tell Dickie or Rummy or I'm in deep doodoo...

[Kierkegaard]

5. If it doesn't involve shopping for shoes,

I don't see how anything is going to change much.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. As if she doesn't have enough time for creating more screw ups

Sheeeesh!

[napi21]

7. Cute move Shrub! If I were Condi, I'd have said

"OH NO you don't!"

He's crawling away and getting someone elase to try to clean up his mess....AGAIN!

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. (10/6/2003) "Rice will manage Iraq's 'new phase'"

WASHINGTON — President Bush is giving his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, the authority to manage postwar Iraq and the rebuilding of Afghanistan.

While some saw it as a sign of frustration with the handling of postwar efforts, Bush and other officials said the move is a logical next step and reflected no dissatisfaction with progress.

"We want to cut through the red tape and make sure that we're getting the assistance there quickly so that they can carry out their priorities," Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said. "It's a new phase, a different phase we're entering."

Rice will head the Iraq Stabilization Group, which will have coordinating committees on counterterrorism, economic development, political affairs and media messages. Each committee will be headed by a Rice deputy and include representatives of the State, Defense and Treasury departments and the CIA.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-10-06-rice-iraq_x.htm

Gee, wonder how that turned out :eyes:

[llmart]

26. I was just remembering that myself.....

didn't we hear this shit before? I don't think people even listen to him any more. I heard a blurb on NPR this evening that even Repugs in Congress didn't listen to his speech today. Guess even they're tired of the same ole, same ole.

[sofa king]

29. Stabilization Is Its Middle Name

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34519-2004May17.html

By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, May 18, 2004; Page A17

With all the chaos and uncertainty in Iraq, this would be a good time to call on the White House's Iraq Stabilization Group. At least it would have been a good time to call on the Stabilization Group if the group itself had not become, er, unstable.

President Bush and his aides announced with some fanfare in October that they were creating the Iraq Stabilization Group within the National Security Council to increase the White House's role in coordinating Iraq policy. "We're trying to mobilize the entire U.S. government to support this effort" in Iraq, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said at the time.

But seven months later, the four original leaders of the Stabilization Group have taken on new roles, and only one remains concerned primarily with Iraq. A search of the White House Web site indicates the phrase "Iraq Stabilization Group" has not been mentioned publicly since October.

_______________________

Oh, but it gets prettier. Within six months, all but one of the Iraq Stabilization Group members were working on other projects. That one person, Robert Blackwill, left the White House last November and now he's shilling for torture.

The group seems to have never existed but in the mind of the President.

[VegasWolf]

9. I guess that Rummy will have plenty of time on his hands now! nt

[Lowell]

10. It don't mean shit

this war is not going to be over until this administration is out of office. She'll never get to do the job. These assclowns have no intention of ending the war until they have squeezed every dime out of the country. It will take a democratic victory to get our ass out of Iraq. Condi can just keep her job as Chief Presidential Fluffer in the meantime.

[DakotaDemocrat]

11. And Rove is in charge of post-Katrina reconstruction...

Geesh.

[CJCRANE]

12. Hang on

didn't * put Condi in charge of this before? (when she was Nat Sec Advisor)

[hadrons]

13. yeah, like 2 years ago ....

[CJCRANE]

14. Condi's doing a heckuva job! nt

[MissMarple]

16. Miss "We had no idea they would fly planes into buildings" Rice.

I just googled that, she has been saying that since September 2001, continues to say it, it's like a neocon default line. They think just staying on point will make them believable. They are either lying or incompetent....or both.

Great choice, George. :eyes:

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. Yep, see post #8 above

Seems most people have forgotten already.

[Jacobin]

19. Yes, actually, they did that two years ago!!!

I guess the first time didn't 'take' and their having to tell her to do her job again.

:rofl:

[awoke_in_2003]

15. doesn't post-conflict

mean after the fighting stops. Wander when that may be?

[rocktivity]

20. This should send his black voter approval rating skyrocketing

into the mid-single digits.

:eyes:
rocknation

[justgamma]

21. Wasn't that one of the reasons that Powel and

Rummy couldn't get along? I seem to remember that it was the State Department's job to rebuild and Shrub decided to pull it from Powell and let Rummy do it.

[Daphne08]

22. I think the operative words here are "post-conflict" n/t

[MichiganVote]

23. Yeah, sure, whatever. Another useless move on the part of this admin.

[InkAddict]

24. Is it that she's supposed to be fabulously competent or....

is it more along the line of "never send a man to do women's work?"

TRANSLATION: Men make war; women clean up the crap afterwards."
Be a good girl, Condi. Clean it up and cover up for me. I gotta go walk the widdle doggies." (on goes the tin foil burkha) Oh, and get Karen and that one that would be Judge, what's her name while you're at it, HAREM, SCARE-EM, he, he, smirk.

:sarcasm:

PLEASE, NO FLAMES!

[The Wielding Truth]

25. Who would ever think a terrorist

would fly a plane into a building???
Oh Condi,what a kidder. How can you keep all your lies straight?

[Charlie Brown]

27. Isn't this something a career military figure should handle?

Seriously, apart from Rice's education, what expertise or experience does she have with stabilizing war-torn parts of the world?

Each situation would be entirely different, with different factions, divisions, and needs. A figure with a history of bringing order to a fragmented society and commanding troops abroad would be infinitely more qualified for this position than a geek like Rice.

[daleo]

28. Iraq - the cookie jar

Condi Rice - the new Cookie Monster.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

30. She won't have much to do for a long time, will she?

[barb162]

31. oops, more disaster