Condi Rice as VP? Richard Clarke and Dana Priest Call Her 'Worst' Ever

There was an interesting, if brief, moment of zen on last night's Bill Maher HBO show, when Maher raised the question of Condi Rice supposedly testing the waters to be picked as John McCain's running mate.

Jason Alexander chortled but then Dana Priest of The Washington Post -- who won a second Pulitzer this week and is usually very careful in her public comments -- joined with Richard Clarke in thoroughly mocking the very idea of McCain getting a Condi fix.

"Maybe political reporters don't have anything better to write about," Priest observed. "She probably will go down in the history books as one of the worst secretaries of state ever." And that is really saying something, given the long, checkered history of the position.

But Clarke seconded the idea, and Priest continued, "and the worst national security adviser, where she was completely ineffective."

Clarke again endorsed that assessment, and added, puckishly, "So the answer is -- please Condi, run."

Maher then pointed out that the only reason this would even be considered is that the GOP might want her, with Obama on the other side, to "black up" the ticket. But, he added, with some claiming that Obama is "not black enough," what would they make of Condi?

Greg Mitchell's new book is So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq. It has been hailed by our own Arianna, Bill Moyers, Glenn Greenwald and others, and features a preface by Bruce Springsteen.

Comments

[ClosetExtrovert]

The only thing worse for McCain than Condi would be Jeb Bush.
That would be a hoot.
But I have a feeling he's going to pick Lieberman. And, as I understand it, some people even like the war mongering slug.

[josham]

The only thing is Blacks did not vote bush into office. Blacks are embarassed by Rice but we are not to blame. We are also embarassed by justice thomas, thank you.

[niikeb]

Not black enough? Condi isnt smart enough, or honest enough.

[enoughalready13]

Or effective enough, or competent enough, or strong enough, or likeable enough.

Without Bush telling her what to do, she is useless.

[jaglon]

She is incompetent. She ignored the warnings before 9/11, took part in the torture meetings, has tried to be a 'peace' maker in the middle-east too late, the list goes on and on.

While I could care less who she lives with the far right will, so I agree with Clarke, please Condi run.

[TheGba]

I don't understand all the creepy hate on this website. It really makes no sense.

I hope that this isn't representative of a meaningful segment of our population.

Can someone answer me these questions?

Why do conservatives get labeled with the "racist' tag so easily when in the past administration there has been two black Sec. of States?

How come liberals are ready to throw Joe Lieberman under the bus just because he differs with some of their opinions?

Do people really think its amusing to change "McCain" to "McSame" or "McBush"? I thought liberals were supposed to be the creative, funny ones.

[niikeb]

Thats just the media that tells you liberals are smart sexy and funny, In reality most of the jokes are written by people who write jokes for a living. So when you dip into real world liberals, its just not as funny as Will Ferrell's Bush Impersonation.

[JacobSinger]

"I thought liberals were supposed to be the creative, funny ones."

A typical conservative misconception, one borne of the cynical delusion that liberals are the "comic relief" to offset the ultra-serious GOP-types who must take on the "big government liberals" so you can be "fiscally responsible." Yeah, tell us another one.

Sorry, but we've long since run out of patience with conservative lies and nonsensical thinking. In other words, we've had it with your bullshit, so if you're looking for humor you can appreciate, you should get off the computer and go back to listening to Rush Limburger....

[ClosetExtrovert]

Yes, I actually do think McSame is funny because it's so accurate. But then "we liberals" have a sense of humor.

[glesslib]

Condi Rice, the ultimate in mediocrity. She is an enabler, a woman who knew nothing about the area we were going to war in, and so she was Bush's idea of an expert. I've read three books about what went on in this adminstration leading up to the war, and all pretty much, openly or tacitly, made the same point. The lady is ill equipped for her job. But really, how would Bush, Cheney or their henchman be able to tell, since they are all so ill-equipped for theirs?

[Grunty1]

Likely McCain VP choices:

1. Joe Lieberman
2. Another Cheney-esque character from the Nixon cesspool
3. If she fails to steal the nomination, Hillary Clinton.

[KeysDan]

For a while there i thought Dana Priest was an operative on the McCain bus. When Bill Maher noted that "national security expert" McCain serially mixed up Shites and Sunnis, Ms. Priest assured us that McCain does know the difference. I guess, because she just knows so and besides, McCain is accessible when he needs free coverage. 60 minutes had another great Condoleezza moment in a video clip of testimony at an Iraq corruption hearing of Congressman Henry Waxman. It was classic Rice, she did not know anything about the issue, but she would get back to Waxman on the matter--six months later, still no word.

[Canaris]

If there was one way to make it even more certain that McCain will have his arse handed to him in November, it's putting a two-term member of Dubya's cabinet on the ticket.

That being said, PLEASE put Condi on the ticket, Republicans.

[plooger]

Maher was only asking about Condi as a set-up to his waaay over-the-top racial jokes regarding Condi, alluding to imagined attempts by her to "blacken herself up" for the VP slot.

This was just one of Maher's two very low points from the evening, with the other being his defense of the 6 girls and 2 boys in FL charged with kidnapping, etc. Maher was characterizing the assault as nothing more than typical kids fighting. He obviously had quickly taken a position on the issue, before ever learning the actual facts of the case, and created a set of ranting points around his rather clueless position. The guest panelists were all appalled at Maher's attitude, but Richard Clarke delivered the most stunning blow...

Clarke summarized the issue by pointing-out that we always wonder why things like Columbine and Virginia Tech happen, and pledge to find out the cause. Well, the cause is because bullies normally get away with the abuse -- just as Maher is suggesting should happen in this case.

[Liberal2]

Regarding Clarke's assessment....spot on! As a nation we are tolerating, if not approving, the worst of behaviors. And straining in our rejection of the least problematic. We tolerate Bush's phallic war ("Mine is bigger than my daddy's) but run crazy in the streets over Clinton's womanizing.

[Boris]

As most of you probably saw on Chris Matthews this AM, GOP flack, something Murphy, pushed Colin Powell as McCain's VP. In 2004, it might have flown but McCain has lost the liberal independents because of his war stance and Powell has come clean about the Administration deceptions. No real GOPer would vote for such a 'judas' And, it was difficult to watch much more of the program since DC's weirdest couple, Carville and Matalin started pouting and spouting. God, they just freakin creep me out.

[rovezaleeker]

Oh really?...Remember that line....There's no difference between Gore and Bush anyway. Who would you rather have a beer with? That's what we're talkin' about. I mean c'mon, there's no difference between Condi and Barack, is there? I mean they're both African American. Who would you rather go bowling with? Isn't that what this November is really all about?

The American nitwits deserve everything their greedy little pea brains can handle. I can not believe that the polls are even close between Obama and McCain or Clinton and McCain. After the last eight years it should be a wash. Shouldn't even be close. YouTube or feeding tube. The choice is so simple that Barack should be able to put his wallet in his back pocket for the rest of the trip. But, alas, the American people are going to fuck this one up again. And if they don't, Roberts and Scalia and Alito can bat clean-up again. Roberts unzips his head and William Rhenquist steps out from the grave. Same shit, different day.

[offred]

Condoleeza Rice can't run for Vice President. She'll be too busy dealing with defending herself against war crime charges. Plus, a vice president should at least be able to travel overseas on U.S. business; Rice won't be able to travel to most European countries without being apprehended on war crimes charges. Next stop: The Hague.

[nikto]

"Rice won't be able to travel to most European countries without being apprehended on war crimes charges. Next stop: The Hague."
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Stop torturing me with beautiful sparkly dreams that are too wonderful to come true!!

We all probably have a better chance of winning Publisher's Clearinghouse.

(sigh)

[Kenji]

You can bet she would get in some serious shoe-shopping before the trial. (Maybe even some 'sensible' shoes, if you catch my drift.)

[JTyroler]

Didn't Condi talk with someone from Syria a year or so ago? If she did, I don't think that would go over too well with some conservatives, although many seem to be willing to change their minds about stuff that a Republican does the same thing they used to complain about during the Clinton years.

[Rog49Thomas]

And what could be a higher recommendation to join McCrazy on the ticket?

BTW let's also give some credit to a bone headed foreign policy.

Slim though her talents are, Condi did not achieve the many imagined foreign policy achievements of the Pan Adminnistration all by herself.