Senator Dodds Condi Answer

Here is the answer I just now received from Senator Dodd when I wrote to him complaining about his vote confirming Condi. I don't know how this man sleeps at night. Although he isn't as bad as my other Senator (Lieberman) he will not get my vote again. He confirmed a LIAR. That is not "requisite skills" unless you are a part of the bush crime family.

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Dear Mr. >>>>>>>>>>

Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of
Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State. It was a pleasure to
hear from you, and I appreciate the benefit of your views on this
matter.

I believe that Dr. Rice has the requisite skills and
experience for this post. I have long adhered to the practice of
according Presidents great deference in their nominations of
term-limited appointees. Those who campaign for and win the
highest office in our land deserve to name their team to the
President's Cabinet. To that end, I believe that each nominee
must meet two criteria. First, he or she must have the personal
qualities required to discharge the duties of the office to which
he or she has been nominated. Second, the nominee must
demonstrated an understanding of the duties that he or she will
be required to discharge if confirmed. I believe that Secretary
Rice meets these criteria.

However, as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, I had the opportunity to question her during
confirmation hearings, and I was disturbed by some of her
responses. Indeed, I have come away with the impression that
when it comes to our foreign policy agenda, it is likely that we
can expect more of the same when it comes to the Bush
Administration's policy priorities. I also have every reason to
believe that the lack of transparency and accountability which
was the hallmark of this Administration in the first term will
continue into the foreseeable future.

I was very troubled by Dr. Rice's unwillingness to admit to
the severe miscalculations that the Administration made in
preparation for the war in Iraq and in its aftermath. To succeed
in Iraq and our other foreign policy endeavors around the world,
this Administration must place the nation's interest ahead of its
pride and finally acknowledge errors in judgment. Only by
acknowledging such errors can we realistically address the
challenges we face in the conduct of our foreign policy.
However, Dr. Rice indicated that she was inclined to follow in
the President's footsteps and refuse to admit mistakes. She was
even reluctant to own-up to the most basic error, the failure to
find Iraqi WMDs – even though their presence was the foundation
for the Bush Administration's original rationale to go to war.

I was also startled by Dr. Rice's failure to answer
straightforward questions regarding the use of torture. I asked
Dr. Rice to answer as a human being, not a legal analyst of the
Geneva conventions, whether certain interrogation techniques such as water
boarding, forced nudity, and the use of stress positions
are torture. Her failure to clearly answer my questions
indicates, disturbingly, that she does not define these methods
as torture and quite possibly supports their use in the War on
Terror. International treaties like the Geneva Conventions exist
for the protection of all parties, and our support for treaties
like the Geneva Conventions are one of the most effective ways to
promote American ideals and triumph in our common cause against
tyranny. Sadly, Dr. Rice missed the opportunity to clearly
articulate to the world that torture is a moral wrong and will
not be tolerated by the United States of America.

Despite these reservations about Dr. Rice's nomination, I
continue to believe the President has the right to choose his or
her Secretary of State, except in extraordinary circumstances. I
therefore voted with reservation to report Dr. Rice's nomination
favorably, and I supported her confirmation before the full
Senate. As you may know, Condoleezza Rice was confirmed by the
Senate on January 26, 2005, by a vote of 85-13. I hope that as
she carries out her responsibilities as Secretary of State, she
takes the time to reflect on some of the issues and concerns that
were raised during her confirmation hearings. Most importantly,
she must remember that as Secretary of State, she is not merely
the President's representative, but the representative of the
American people.

Thank you again for contacting me. If you would like to stay
in touch with me on this and other issues of importance, please
visit my website at http://dodd.senate.gov and subscribe to my
online newsletter, the Dodd Digest. Please do not hesitate to
contact me again if I can help you in any way.


Sincerely,

CHRISTOPHER J. DODD
United States Senator

... the "extraordinary circumstances" that he would consider exceptions to his general rule.

Who, exactly would we be talking about here? Charles Manson? Pol Pot? Who?

hand before he would even commit to that... SHEESH....