I spent a couple of hours last night researching and writing a post on Dr. Condolleeza Rice, her Senate confirmation hearings, and how the national and international press covered it. Then I accidentally deleted it. Worn out and frustrated, I gave up on the post.
However, I think the topic is too important to walk away from. There were quite a few gems of thought in Dr. Rice's testimony and statements yesterday that were ignored by the press. Surprisingly, the international press picked up better on the theme of the hearings because the international press is not so singularly focused on Iraq, WMD, withdrawal timetables, and disclosing "mistakes". While the New York Times and Los Angeles Times ran with Iraq as the major focus of the hearings, including the shameful comments by my own Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), the Washington Post did a better job of giving greater depth to the issues addressed. Howard Kurtz, the WP's media critic, sums up some of the national coverage but spends more energy on what they covered rather than what they missed. But is nevertheless a good quick read.
A Brief Bio on Condi Rice
Dr. Rice, who entered college at age 15 and had her doctorate by age 26, grew up the daughter of an Alabaman Methodist minister. She was trained as a classical pianist but turned her attention to politics in college when she realized that her piano talent, while impressive, did not have the natural flow of the greats in the field. Dr. Rice succeeded through her brilliance and determination and through the desegregation of the South, even saying to her father on a visit to DC that one day, she would be in that House, pointing to where she works now.
Brent Scrowcroft, National Security Adviser to President George H. W. Bush (#41), wisely added her to his staff. She speaks fluent Russian and has a great grasp of international relations.
At 38, Dr. Rice was the youngest appointed Provost of Stanford University. Not only was she the youngest but the first African-American and first woman as well. She was well respected during her time at Stanford.
When George W. Bush (#43) began his run for the presidency, Dr. Rice was tapped to be his foreign affairs adviser. This led to her current position as National Security Adviser, which she gives up tomorrow to take over the State Department from Colin Powell on Bush's second inauguration.
Getting to the Heart of the Testimony
The text of the hearings can be found here. You can skip over most of the superfluous senator banter for the first 20 paragraphs or so. Dr. Rice's opening remarks are well worth reading and demonstrate the focus and importance the Bush Administration will put on restoring alliances and, critically, encouraging and promoting democracy.
Dr. Rice uses her unique background and support of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement to remind the senators and nation that democracy is everyone's dream and requires effort to achieve and guarantee.
Then as now, it was the same week that America celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. It is a time to reflect on the legacy of that great man, on the sacrifices he made, on the courage of the people he led, and on the progress our nation has made in the decade since. I personally am indebted to those who fought and sacrificed in the civil rights movement so that I could be here today. For me, this is a time to remember other heroes as well. I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, the old Birmingham of Bull Connor and church bombings and voter intimidation, the Birmingham where Dr. King was thrown in jail for demonstrating without a permit. Yet, there was another Birmingham, the city where my parents, John and Angelena Rice, and their friends built a thriving community in the midst of terrible segregation. It would have been so easy for them to give in to despair and to send that message of hopelessness to their children.
But they refused to allow the limits and injustices of their time to limit our horizons. My friends and I were raised to believe that we could do or become anything, that the only limits to our aspirations came from within. We were taught not to listen to those who said, "No, you can't." The story of Birmingham's parents and teachers and children is a story of the triumph of universal values over adversity. And those values, a belief in democracy and liberty and the dignity of every life and the rights of every individual, unite Americans of all backgrounds, all faiths, and all colors. They provide us a common cause and a rallying point in difficult times, and they are a source of hope to men and women across the globe who cherish freedom and work to advance freedom's cause. And in these extraordinary times, it is the duty of all of us, legislators and diplomats and civil servants and citizens, to uphold and advance the values that are core to our identity and that have lifted millions around the world. One of history's clearest lessons is that America is safer and the world more secure than ever wherever freedom prevails.
These remarks were missed by most of the national media as they were playing the Beltway Gotcha Game of focusing on Iraq. Iraq is important. And please don't misunderstand my point. However, the struggle in Iraq is not about oil, but it is about establishing democracy in the Middle East and changing the entire political paradigm of the region. Iraq is but one major battle in the Greater War on Terror (GWoT) that must be won to ensure not only Iraqi freedom but to secure ours as well.
In my next post, I will take a more detailed look at where a second Bush Administration will go diplomatically and how it will seek to transform non-democractic states.
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