White House's Rice: Rumsfeld Is in Charge in Iraq

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld remained in charge of Iraq's rebuilding despite a White House reorganization seen as diluting his power.

``We are in complete agreement about this ... the Defense Department and Secretary Rumsfeld remain the lead agency in the reconstruction of Iraq,'' Rice told reporters in her first public comments on tensions between Rice and Rumsfeld that surfaced last week.



more..............

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-usa-rice.html

[Rose Siding]

1. Wasn't it some other a**hole just yesterday?

Condi took her turn last week! :silly:

[treefrogjohn]

2. in charge du jour

It was an unfinished statement.

"The one who is in charge is me ... while they let me."

[IndianaGreen]

15. Am I the only that is confused by the White House's "Who's on first?"

Looks like no one is in charge!

[Rose Siding]

16. We must get hold of that duty roster!

:D

[proud patriot]

3. *SNARF*

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
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[DrBB]

4. Ah, confusion amongst our enemies, a horrible thing

...because so much is at stake and they are SOOOOO inept.

But let's parse, shall we?

Rice's statement, like all that emits from the orifice of the oval office, is overdetermined. On the most overt level--but still somewhat beneath the literal sense--it means that they are finally crafting a "unified message" after the ridiculously mixed signals they know they were sending last week. Condi announced her memo before Rummy got the word, Rummy exploded like the hothead he is, and all out in public where it's never ever supposed to happen for this administration. Okay.

But then there's the more speculative part deux: Namely the subtext that Rice doesn't in the least bit want to be in charge. Not merely because (interpretation B-sub-1) it is a mess without a resolution--they are ad libbing like crazy, as the "Condi's in charge" story telegraphed more clearly than anything--and she doesn't want to be stuck with it; but also because (interpretation B-sub-2) she is incompetent and what's more she knows it.

Yup. Not a single thing has our dear, beloved National Security Adviser advised on but what it turned out a fucking disaster. "No one thought of airplanes flying into buildings," quoth the incredibly estimable Ms Rice, and that was only the first and perhaps most excusable flub in quite a career list of such. Member those sixteen words, Condi? How come you didn't know about Wilson's report that the Niger thing was bogus from top to bottom? Well, "lost in the bureaucracy" we hear as if that were a legitimate excuse. Many an actually COMPETENT NSA has been canned for less. But in Bush Krony Kapitalism, we go medieval on ya--i.e., fealty is all, your job is safe no matter how big a buffoon you are, long as you are Loyal.

So I suspect partly it comes down to Condi chickening out, not wanting a high-profile, absolutely un-shirkable responsibility for something even a competent person is practically guaranteed to fail at. Sooooo much easier to defer to the good Mr Rummy. He seems to want the job anyway. Phew! quoth Condi, managed to duck another one!

[snippy]

12. To Whistle Ass, Rummy is expendable, Condi is not.

[Jacobin]

13. Very nice analysis

[Oilwellian]

19. You have a great way of putting things

And I totally agree. :D

[ljm2002]

27. OT but I have to ask...

...Is your little penguin clip real, or the result of some creative editing?

Either way, it's too funny! Gotta love it.

[diamond14]

20. "Uhuru" was a sign I saw on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro....

can you tell me what it means???? guess I wasn't thinking about it at 19,300 feet...

[DrBB]

21. Uhuru means "peace" in Swahili n/t

[priller]

28. Agreed. Condi has no management experience.

Her shtick is being an analyst (when she bothers to ACTUALLY READ the reports) and being the top know-it-all for Dubya (jeez, that can't be too hard).

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Question: "Who's on first"? Answer: "No, he's on second."

[IndianaGreen]

17. Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first?" Audio and transcript

Imagine Rummy and Condi having this sort of discussion with Bush:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/onfirst.ram

A Word-for-Word Transcript

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/humor4.shtml

[snippy]

6. Does Whistle Ass know? He wants to be in charge of Iraq.

[diamond14]

7. LOL !!! none of them can figure out WHOSE IN CHARGE (pic)

thanks to bartcop.com

[Zhade]

8. Anyone else think they want to leave Skeletor holding the bag on this one?

Perhaps he's seen as too dangerous to control? Is this a trapdoor with a time delay, just in case they need another fall guy?

[0007]

9. Condi is not cracking the whip!

Sounds like she is cutting some slack to the fruitcake.

[Spazito]

10. The White House version of...

musical chairs. When the "music" stops the last person is left standing. In this case, the one without the chair is in charge.

[hlthe2b]

11. I'll bet Rummy just hates having Condi patronize him like this...

the "little woman" throwing him a bone..

karma's a bitch

[gasperc]

14. oh that's why Iraq is so fucked upq

Rumsfield is in charge, not that Paul Bremer doofus, good now I got it straight, Rumsfield is the one fucking every thing up and getting Americans killed.

[truthisfreedom]

18. *SNORT*

yeeeeeaaaahhhh, riiiiiiggghhhttt, condi.

[imax2268]

22. This is rediculous...

I don't think they know the difference between their assholes and a hole in the ground...

I hear the world laughing at us...

[teryang]

23. Herr Rumsvolt is king of the defense contractors

Of course he's in charge. He is also the front protecting the pro Israeli lobbiests/war promoters who are in complete control of the day to day operation of the pentagon and its planning and budgetary functions.

Cheney is the Bechtel/Halliburton representative. He also represents the domestic power and energy scamsketeers.

Condi represents the multi-national energy corporate heavies who think they are the masters behind the scene.

Bremer is the CIA/BFEE man on the ground in Iraq. IMHO.

[LeftHander]

24. So Bush says one thing and they do another...

SOunds like what we have been saying all along that W is the worst leader ever. Bush says one thing Cheney says another. Bush says one thing Condi says another.

Time for the whole lot to go...

[bushisanidiot]

25. They must have a daily "on call" list like we do here at work.

chickenshits. nobody wants to take responsibility or blame, but AWOL admin. all want "credit" for the "liberation".

morans.

[Rose Siding]

26. At this rate, it'll be my turn soon

and I'll give the UN their turn.