http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/13714.htmlGeorge and Condi — kindred spirits
Posted November 26th, 2007 at 11:12 am
One of the more embarrassing setbacks for the Bush administration’s policy in the Middle East came after the Palestinian elections nearly two years ago. The White House was convinced, naively, that in all circumstances, democracy equals peace. If given a choice, no group of people would intentionally choose to support terrorists in a free election.
Except that didn’t work out at all. Bush later said those responsible for the violence in Gaza are “trying to stop the advance of democracy.” The president had no idea what he was talking about — Hamas was responsible for the violence, and Hamas won a majority in the Palestinian elections in January 2006.
But at least Bush administration officials knew what to expect in those elections, right? Well, apparently not.
{Condoleezza} Rice, who had heralded the election as a symbol of the new stirrings of democracy in the Middle East, was so blindsided by the {Hamas} victory {in the Palestinians’ parliamentary elections} that she was startled when she saw a crawl of words on her television screen while exercising on her elliptical trainer the morning after the election: “In wake of Hamas victory, Palestinian cabinet resigns.”
“I thought, ‘Well, that’s not right,’” Ms. Rice recalled. When the crawl continued, she got off the elliptical trainer and called the State Department.
“I said, ‘What happened in the Palestinian elections?’” Ms. Rice recalled. “And they said, ‘Oh, Hamas won.’ And I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, Hamas won?’”
As Jason Zengerle noted, “So Rice reveals herself to be both clueless and a fitness freak. Remind you of anyone else?”
I’ve always had the impression that the Secretary of State monitors key election results through official channels, particularly when it comes to the Middle East and Hamas is on the ballot.
Apparently not —
Rice wasn’t getting the news from diplomats; she was watching the same TV stations as the rest of us. Even more importantly, the nation’s chief diplomat didn’t have a clue as to what might happen. Inspires confidence, doesn’t it?
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