Are the Republicans so desperate for a victory that they'd attack Susan Rice just because they smell blood? Do they really think this is an opportunity for an easy victory? Do they hope to force Obama to defend a woman that they can then force under the bus?
Susan Rice is currently the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., and is a likely nominee for Hilary Clinton's job as Secretary of State. She's also someone that the Right hates.
A quick tour of Conservative sites on the web turned up a lot of blog posts and articles about Rice. She was frequently called a "liar" and a "disgrace" (I say "frequently" even though many of them are merely reposting form each other). One article asked the question, "Susan Rice: Liar or Nincompoop?"
Mostly because of the terrorist attack in Benghazi.
Republicans are threatening to do whatever it takes to stop any nomination of Rice. John McCain, for example, is threatening a filibuster. Senator McCain and others have said that Rice is unqualified for the post, as she is not prepared to discuss the attack. It is a fact that she gave a report based on faulty information she received through intelligence. The Right blames her for this; they say she should have known better.
Here's my problem with that. For years the GWB administration used "...but he was given bad intelligence!" as their excuse for many things -- 9/11 and those phantom WMDs in Iraq, for example -- and now the Right is claiming that bad intelligence is no excuse. They're saying that someone in her position should have known better, and maybe that's a point...but if it is, then you have to conclude that GWB should have known better for both 9/11 and Iraq.
Frankly, I'm not willing to concede either point, and I don't place massive blame at either her or Bush's feet because the intelligence let them down. And I'm not exactly a fan of GWB.
And then Obama addressed this issue, in his first press conference since the election. (That was today, Wednesday Nov. 14, 2012) What Obama had to say on the subject was telling. He praised Rice for her "toughness and grace," and he said this:
"If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. And I'm happy to have that discussion with them. But to go after the U.N. ambassador? Who had nothing to do with Benghazi? And was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received? To besmirch her reputation is outrageous."
That must have surprised the Republicans; they expected him to avoid discussion on this, not to invite it. I don't think they were expecting him to "put up his dukes" on this issue. I think they were expecting him to try to deflect attention away from Susan Rice and Benghazi, perhaps to sidestep the whole issue; at least they expected him to be defensive about it. But you know the old saying: "The best defense is a good offense." Obama went on the attack; I don't think they expected him to challenge them so strongly or openly.
By telling the Republicans to "put up or shut up" Obama is forcing his opposition to come up with hard facts to support their claims. Frankly, they haven't got a prayer. The facts simpkly dont support them. At least, I couldn't find any, and I looked. (If you know of any, please use the "comments" link at the end of this article.) The election should have told them that reading right-wing blogs that mostly repost each other to shore up their opinions is no way to try to tell what's actually going on. Should have, but didn't; the Right is still gleefully feeding off itself in an effort to keep seeing the world not as it is but as they wish it to be.
The Right is looking for an easy victory, and it's a time when they need one. They may actually get a victory here, but it won't be easy.
Be all that as it may, the Right continues to attempt to place Rice at the center of a huge conspiracy to hide/disguise the facts. I can find no evidence to support this, either. (Again, if you have better information please post it.) The Right is threatening to pull out all the stops to prevent Susan Rice from becoming Secretary of State. That they may actually do so based on the thinnest of evidence (no damn evidence at all that I could find) is something they should be ashamed of. Something we all should be ashamed of.
The Blues Viking
The opinions here expressed are mine and if you don’t like them you can get your own damn blog.
Obama: Attacks on Susan Rice "Outrageous"' (CBS News)
President Obama defends Susan Rice against criticism from John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte (Washingtom Post)
John McCain Pledges to Stop Susan Rice at All Costs (Yahoo)
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