Rice Gives "Less Than Hearty" Endorsement To Palin (VIDEO)

"In a weekend interview, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice passed up an opportunity to defend Sarah Palin from allegations that she does not have the foreign policy experience to be vice president," ABC News reports.

In a less-than-hearty endorsement, Rice declined to say anything more positive about Palin than "she gave a terrific speech" and "she's a governor of a state here in the United States" during her interview with Zain Verjee of CNN.

Asked point-blank if Palin has enough experience, Rice said, "These are decisions that Senator McCain has made. I have great confidence in him." Confidence in Palin? Rice didn't say.

Rice added: "I'm not going to get involved in this political campaign. As Secretary of State, I don't do that. But I thought her speech was wonderful."

Via ThinkProgress, here's the video:

As TP notes, "By comparison, Rice responded to Sen. Barack Obama's pick of Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate last month by saying that 'Biden is obviously a very fine statesman.'"

Comments

[Knowitall]

Why is the video no longer available??? What happened??

[ShakeYourComplacency]

Say what you want about Condi, but she's a smart woman who worked hard, paid her dues, and is an expert at foreign policy. She's not cut from the same cloth as Palin. They have nothing in common, so why would she support her?

Palin represents the kind of woman politician where the first rule is that you play by the boys rules, the second rule is you be the kind of woman who has physical attributes the boys like, and the third rule is repeat rule 1 and 2.

I listen to sports radio. It's often hard to bear, because it's very derrogatory to females. They are conserv and pro military. I just about wheeled off the road when I heard the resident sports goon say that he was "charmed" by Palin's speach. This is the same guy that takes every opportunity to knock women, and make jokes about women sportscasters who cover football on the sidelines and how they should shut up and put something in their mouths. (This is mainstream radio folks). But I get it, because she's exactly what he thinks he wants, a woman he's attracted to who won't annoy him with any traditional woman's concerns. A guy on the radio answered him with less enthusiasm about Palin, and he said "what are you, a bleeding heart liberal?" So it's about that less than it's about gender, really. As has been pointed about before, she's the female George Bush, and they love that.

[naeldwyck]

You're right about Palin, but so wrong about Rice. She is one of the co-authors of the Iraq war. She accidentally calls Russia the Soviet Union (and that is supposed to be her field of expertise). I can believe she worked hard, but smart? Appearances.

[nk007]

What's the use of having a smart person, PhD and all, who rubber stamps idiotic policies? In my judgement, Secretary Rice, as smart as people think she is, has been more about proving her loyalty to George W. Bush, than she has been about being a wise advisor. I personally think she was chosen to replace Collin Powell because, even though Powell clearly betrayed his own conscience when he went to the UN to justify the invasion of Iraq, he was increasingly uncomfortable supporting the lies and the idiocy of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. I am sure since Bush now supports McCain/Palin, the ever loyal Ms. Rice follows her leader, though she may have some reservations.

[FatherWolf]

Dr. Rice's evident lack of enthusiasm for The Pit Bull With Lipstick is understandable.

Dr. Rice isn't a hockey mom or soccer mom or any kind of working mom. She probably actually thinks about international relations much of the time rather than mostly thinking about how to get multiple children out the door before going to work.

And she's clearly a member of the intellectual/cultural elite -- she's a former university professor and regularly plays classical music on the piano.

Who do millions of harried working moms think would be better at running the country?

Guess.

[nabrum]

"Who do millions of harried working moms think would be better at running the country?"

I'm scared to guess, but I know I'd like someone in charge that got their passport more than a year ago, and visited the Lower 48 before she became VP running. Visiting other countires and know what's going on in the world would be nice also. So that leaves McBush and palin out.

[NTO08]

We've heard all this boring biography of Rice before...it still doesn't save her from being part and parcel in the murder of millions of Iraqis and the deaths of Amercan and allied soldiers...she repeatedly and shamelessly lies for Bush and has no shame about doing it...she may be a part of the intellectual elite, but that just means she is able to couch her lies in cleverer terms than the likes of Sarah Palin...Condi actually thinks about international relations? Funny, would we be in the situation we are in if she actually DID think about international relations, rather than regurgitating the pablum she does on a too-frequent basis...this woman was complicit in the whole 9/11 debacle...and how is getting multiple children out the door a less important job than the job she has been doing? You insult millions of women who realize that taking care of children is a lot tougher job than Condi's, any day.

[MoeJava]

Millions of harried, working moms, think Obama-Biden is the ticket. They have already worked uncompensated double time during these past 8 years.

[ShamusNYC]

Sounds like she's trying to set-up an ugly friend of hers on a blind date:

"So, is she pretty"

"She, uh..., you know she's got some really nice qualities"

[gloriar8]

Shamus- This is the best and funniest analogy I''ve heard in long time. LOLOLLOLOLLL Whooohooo haqhahahhhha

[tjwdraws]

I agree. ShamusNYC had me rolling on the floor. Reminds me of when someone said they thought I was cute and asked what I thought of them. My reply, "Um, I think you're nice". Oh Snap!

[think4yourself]

OK, here is my fave:

"Choosing a Republican to clean up this [country's] mess is like asking an iceberg to save the Titanic. It is not going to work."

[jtshp]

I think the phrase is: Damning with faint praise.

[sociocanuck]

Feigning dim praise, too.

[dontomas]

CNN reports today that Condi would like to see more blacks in the State/Foriegn Service Dept: Its almost supportive of Obama.

[nanners0808]

ok, so what "OTHER" kinds of experience help you deal with matters of foreign policy? like traveling around the world and visiting other countries? not living in a homogenous environment? hmmm, too bad palin doesn't have those OTHER kinds of experience.

condi is po'd that the trojan moose got picked over her. as well she should be. i'm glad she's being somewhat honest and not going rah rah rah for the cheerleader. it probably feels like high school all over again for condi.

[ShamusNYC]

Or maybe she just thinks Sarah's an idiot and scares her like she scares the rest of us.

[InedaName]

I agree that Dr. Rice probably thinks Palin is an idiot but I don't think there are many people on this earth that scare her.

[nabrum]

"condi is po'd that the trojan moose got picked over her"

Don't be so sure. Wouldn't surprise me to see her vote for Obama as she knows first hand how bad the McBush 4 years would be.

[Passenger57]

No matter what I think of Rice - I think she's right to stay out of this race. She's still working for Bush,and her making any in-depth comments about either one is a no-no.I think she's going to vote for Obama,though...

[Richard22]

I think Rice is concerned about her future credibility. Unlike the washed up Bush-Cheney ticket, and the "old-boy" Giuliani-Thompson-Lieberman smearmongering network, she may think she has a political future. The old boys only hope is to be part of the MORE OF THE SAME McCain administration...

Not only did Condi NOT endorse Palin, she made clear from her answers that she knows that Palin is actually COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED for any job requiring foreign policy skills.

[LWkcma]

HEH....She's governor of a state close to Russia.....SNORT

[sparkey]

I smell "Cat Fight". Condesleeeeezzza wanted to be picked for v.p. and didn't get it. McSame wanted somebody who was pretty, and Condesleeeeezzza, you ain't it.

[InedaName]

I thought Rice said long ago that she wasn't interested in VP. I'm sure she's got a cushy fellowship at think tank or a corporate gig lined up.

[yellowdogminnesotan]

Wow with friends like those who needs enemies. Well I can understand why she's upset Condi along with every other woman in the Neo-Con party are far more qualified for this job then Palin. But they lack the one real thing needed to be John McCain's VP a 2nd place trophy in a Miss Alaska Beauty Contest.

[MNmommy]

D@mning with faint praise.

[bcinbigd]

I forgot to mention in my qualifications that I can recognize the fact that morality cannot be achieved by legislation, therefore I would suggest that criminalizing abortion will not decrease abortion but rather achieve more criminals. I suggest that, as a start, all men be excluded from the disussion of the abortion issue, followed by anyone wjho doesn't have a clue about how to realistically curb unwanted pregnancies (read - people who reject the idea that anyone might want to have sex without having children). I am encouraged that the religious right now endorses unmarried pregnancies. I'm sure that next they will dig deeper into their hearts and endorse the other alternate lifestyles as well.

[farmgirl]

Kinda like when the Supreme Court finally pushed back against W when he encroached on the justice system.

Condi probably resents the attitude that foreign policy is something a person can pick up in a two week cram course.

No matter how much kool aid they drink, everyone thinks his/her own field is serious and important.

[Mekarri]

I am so tired of hearing about this woman. I want to get back to the ISSUES. Does anyone cares about what we ALL stand to lose it Mccain\Palin becomes president. Or is America racism more important than the lives and future of their children? I guess in November we will have our answer.

[YouThinkAndTalk]

We can't wait until November. I want an Issues discussion NOW. Day-by-day. Fore each of these issues, I want first a clean definition of what we want and a comparison bar showing to what extent each candidates will give us what we want.

Something like Consumer Reports has to compare, say, washers and driers. We all know what we want from a washer and drier, but CU gives also a summary. Then based on these criteria, they have all these horizontal bars that you can see at a glance how each model fares.

Political Issues Consumer Reports. That will be cool!!!

I can 't wait to see what kind of political washer and drier the Republicans are asking for and what they are getting.

Which brings me back to O: we are all Americans and all want the same: clean and dry cloths.

[bcinbigd]

I'm continually amazed at the folks who want to paint Sarah Palin as a foreign policy expert because she is Governor of Alaska, which borders on Canada and is across the strait from Russia. Folks, please vote for me for Vice President on an Independent ticket because I live in Texas which borders on Mexico, is across the gulf from Cuba, Haiti, and The Dominican Republic. I am the president of a solar energy company, therefore I have PRESIDENTIAL experience and I know a bunch more about energy issues than either Gov. Palin or Sen. McCain. I am married to a Russian and have a Russian daughter, so I deal with Russians everyday and solve international crises almost weekly. I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for three years with the Air Force (active duty) and had a job sending groceries to people who lived in the bush. Gov. Palin seeks a job pushing Bush on people with no groceries. Vote for me (or one of the 20 million others with more experience than Gov. Palin). Thank you and may God Bless America.

[11907281]

But how good are you at belittling decent people and ideas, while patting b1gots and extremists on the back.

[YouThinkAndTalk]

On the subject of foreign policy experience, I read somewhere that, because she befriended the Alaska Independence Party (AIP), whose chief despises America, she can relate to all those, how should I say it, Islamofacists, who hate us, because the leader of AIP thinks like them. Can you be sure that deep inside Sarah's psyche you wont find traces of that hatred?

Note: my spell checker does not understand Islamofacists and recommends Supremacists or Pharmacists!!!

[Passenger57]

I think you should make you case on YouTube,bcinbigd....go all out! Get a big flag and a podium...I'm serious! What have you got to lose? You might get picked up by the networks!

[Sammy00400]

My my my. Irregardless of how well she did her job Condi is a very smart woman. We can fault her that her "USA dominance" opinons and solutions belong in the past. But she does understand how things work.

[naeldwyck]

Er, I really don't think you have to be "a very smart woman" to recognize that Palin is a nitwit in foreign policy.

[YouDisgustMe]

lol well said