Solitaire
21st December 2006, 10:12 PM
Rice Discusses Iraq (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec06/rice_12-21.html)
When I listen to Condoleezza Rice talk, I envision her mind like a rode. A rode I'm driving down. A rode full of confused squirrels moving randomly about.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Well, I think the president is waiting not to hear reports of what commanders may be saying, or rumors about what commanders may be saying, or even the voices of a commander here or a commander there, but rather to get a systematic look at what his options are, at what the people on the ground, the commanders, think is going to help support this Iraqi government in getting control of the violence in Baghdad. And he'll make a decision at that point.
The squirrel hops left, hops left again, getting pretty close, then the squirrel quickly runs right into safety.
We're not listening to them, we're not listening to them, we're listening to an interpretation of them. Ah.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: There is no doubt that the president went into this phase with the same conviction and the same commitment that he's held throughout this war. And that is that the decision to go into Iraq was because it was in the interest and the security interests of the United States to do so, and that failure in Iraq would have grave circumstances, grave consequences for American interests, for the interests of our friends and allies in the region, and, indeed for global security. So that's not going to change; that conviction, that commitment is not going to change.
The president has been very open to all kinds of suggestions as to how to meet the commitment to help an Iraqi government to be able to sustain itself and defend itself and govern. And I would just note: it's very interesting, when the Baker-Hamiliton commission came out, that was the same conviction that that very illustrious group of Americans held, that we can't afford to have a failure in Iraq. And so I've noticed, Margaret, that, really, the Baker-Hamiliton commission, but also since the elections, a renewed spirit by Americans, whatever their views of the decision to go to war, a renewed spirit in the Congress, among outside experts that the real issue is: How do we succeed under the circumstances?
Squirrel stares at the approaching car, stares at car, stares at the car, thud, squirrel sleeps on road.
What is this spirit? Could it be the ghost of popularity poles longs since past.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: ... The problem in the "just talk to Iran" or "just talk to Syria" idea is that, if Iran and/or Syria believe that it is in their best interests to have a stable Iraq, then they will act in accordance with that. If they don't believe that it is in their interest, they will not, or they will try to exact a price. And I don't believe for a minute that the Iranians are going to talk about Iraq over here and leave their nuclear program over here without trying to make some kind of trade. Nor are the Syrians going to talk about Iraq over here and leave the future of Lebanon and the future of the tribunal to deal with the murder of Rafik Hariri over here.
Margaret, I think it ought to be absolutely clear that, if the Iraqis - if the Iranians and the Syrians want to act to stabilize Iraq, they can do that without talking to us. They are, by the way, talking to the Iraqis about how to do that. They are, by the way, members of the International Compact for Iraq. And if they come to those International meetings ready to act in a positive way, at least in Iraq, then that will be welcomed. But the idea that we somehow have to tell them what to do in order to stabilize Iraq, when they, in fact, are the ones who are destabilizing Iraq, they know what they're doing. They can stop it on any day. Perhaps the reason that they would perhaps rather do it by talking to us is that then they can extract a price for cooperation in Iraq, and those are prices we're not willing to pay.
At the sight of the car, the squirrel stares at it for a moment of pure horror. At the last possible moment, the squirrel splits into two pieces - the right half goes right the left half goes left.
Uh... Gee.
They can destabilize Iraq by talking to us for a price...
Then again who knows what this means.
:confused:
When I listen to Condoleezza Rice talk, I envision her mind like a rode. A rode I'm driving down. A rode full of confused squirrels moving randomly about.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: Well, I think the president is waiting not to hear reports of what commanders may be saying, or rumors about what commanders may be saying, or even the voices of a commander here or a commander there, but rather to get a systematic look at what his options are, at what the people on the ground, the commanders, think is going to help support this Iraqi government in getting control of the violence in Baghdad. And he'll make a decision at that point.
The squirrel hops left, hops left again, getting pretty close, then the squirrel quickly runs right into safety.
We're not listening to them, we're not listening to them, we're listening to an interpretation of them. Ah.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: There is no doubt that the president went into this phase with the same conviction and the same commitment that he's held throughout this war. And that is that the decision to go into Iraq was because it was in the interest and the security interests of the United States to do so, and that failure in Iraq would have grave circumstances, grave consequences for American interests, for the interests of our friends and allies in the region, and, indeed for global security. So that's not going to change; that conviction, that commitment is not going to change.
The president has been very open to all kinds of suggestions as to how to meet the commitment to help an Iraqi government to be able to sustain itself and defend itself and govern. And I would just note: it's very interesting, when the Baker-Hamiliton commission came out, that was the same conviction that that very illustrious group of Americans held, that we can't afford to have a failure in Iraq. And so I've noticed, Margaret, that, really, the Baker-Hamiliton commission, but also since the elections, a renewed spirit by Americans, whatever their views of the decision to go to war, a renewed spirit in the Congress, among outside experts that the real issue is: How do we succeed under the circumstances?
Squirrel stares at the approaching car, stares at car, stares at the car, thud, squirrel sleeps on road.
What is this spirit? Could it be the ghost of popularity poles longs since past.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE: ... The problem in the "just talk to Iran" or "just talk to Syria" idea is that, if Iran and/or Syria believe that it is in their best interests to have a stable Iraq, then they will act in accordance with that. If they don't believe that it is in their interest, they will not, or they will try to exact a price. And I don't believe for a minute that the Iranians are going to talk about Iraq over here and leave their nuclear program over here without trying to make some kind of trade. Nor are the Syrians going to talk about Iraq over here and leave the future of Lebanon and the future of the tribunal to deal with the murder of Rafik Hariri over here.
Margaret, I think it ought to be absolutely clear that, if the Iraqis - if the Iranians and the Syrians want to act to stabilize Iraq, they can do that without talking to us. They are, by the way, talking to the Iraqis about how to do that. They are, by the way, members of the International Compact for Iraq. And if they come to those International meetings ready to act in a positive way, at least in Iraq, then that will be welcomed. But the idea that we somehow have to tell them what to do in order to stabilize Iraq, when they, in fact, are the ones who are destabilizing Iraq, they know what they're doing. They can stop it on any day. Perhaps the reason that they would perhaps rather do it by talking to us is that then they can extract a price for cooperation in Iraq, and those are prices we're not willing to pay.
At the sight of the car, the squirrel stares at it for a moment of pure horror. At the last possible moment, the squirrel splits into two pieces - the right half goes right the left half goes left.
Uh... Gee.
They can destabilize Iraq by talking to us for a price...
Then again who knows what this means.
:confused: