Rice Gives Up on Secretary of State

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Dec.13, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

           U.N. Amb. Susan Rice, 47, threw in the towel on her unlikely quest to replace 65-year-old Hillary Rodham Clinton as Secretary of State.  While well-credentialed, with degrees from Stanford and Oxford, Rice lacked the savvy to know what to say in the wake of the Sept. 11 Benghazi, Libya attacks that killed Amb. Chris Stevens and three other Americans.  Instead of deferring judgment on the cause of the attack, she recited predigested talking points on five Sunday morning TV talk shows, telling the public that the attacks were caused by rioting at the scene.  When former CIA Director David Petraeus testified Nov. 16 that he knew from the get-go the attack was an organized terrorist strike on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, you knew Rice’s gaffe wouldn’t be taken lightly, certainly by key Republicans.  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) rejected Rice’s explanations.

             Administration officials excused Rice’s gaffes on national TV, saying she recited the best intel at the time.  While that’s convenient, a savvy ambassador like Rice, considered for Secretary of State, should have never been asked to act as a White House spokesperson.  Whoever at the White House or State Department asked Rice to explain Benghazi on national TV knew she was being set up.  “If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly—to you and our most pressing national and international priorities,” Rice wrote President Barack Obama in her withdrawal letter.  While it’s tempting to believe Rice’s explanation, she knows that her responses on Sunday, Sept. 15 didn’t cut-the-muster for someone with her eyes on Secretary of State. Whoever at the White House urged Rice to recite the talking points sabotaged her career.

             Calling Rice “an extraordinary capable and dedicated public servant,” the new shoe-in for Secretary of State 69-year-old Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) sung her praises, knowing full-well she blew a golden opportunity.  When McCain and Graham hammered Rice on her non sequiturs on Benghazi, Obama got his dander up messing with his U.N. ambassador and old time friend.  In his first post-election news conference Nov. 14,Obama defended Rice’s Benghazi statements, telling the GOP to stop ”besmirching her reputation” and, if necessary, “go after me.”  Known as “no drama Obama,” his defense of Rice was out-of-character, perhaps related to his hard-fought battle with former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.  Now that he faces a pitched battle on the “fiscal cliff,” Barack has resumed impeccable diplomacy.  After praising Rice to no end, Obama couldn’t fathom that she self-destructed.      

             When Rice stepped before the cameras and microphones Sept. 15, she went at her own risk.  While it’s true that she recited White House talking points, it’s also true she had her own mind too. Any cursory examination of Benghazi indicated a carefully orchestrated al-Qaeda-like terror attack.  Telling the press with a straight face that the attacks were due to mob violence from a viral video blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed, it made no sense.  All video from the U.S. consulate showed no mob violence.  Rice’s decision to back down from contentious confirmation hearings said more about saving her current job as U.N. Ambassador than sparing Obama any embarrassment.  Confirmation hearings would have turned into mini-Watergate interrogation possibly costing Rice her current job.  When Hillary testifies on Benghazi Dec. 20, she’ll also face a slippery slope.

             Expected to run for president in 2016, Hillary walks a tightrope, potentially exposing herself to certain risks. Unlike Rice, Hillary will be well-coached beforehand how to respond to potentially incendiary questions.  Rice’s inability to weather the storm speaks volumes about her lack of readiness for primetime.  “As someone who has weathered my share of political attacks and understands on a personal level just how difficult politics can be, I’ve felt for her throughout these last difficult weeks . .  .” said Kerry, forgetting that he too was his worst enemy in the 2004 campaign.  Exaggerating his military record, especially bashing the Vietnam War when he returned from service, backfired during the campaign.  Whatever Rice said about Benghazi, she can’t blame it on White House talking points.  When she took to the microphones Sept. 11, her reputation was on the line.

               Pulling her name from consideration from Secretary of State, Rice decided she’d like to spare herself more embarrassment and retain her job as U.N. Ambassador.  While McCain and Graham led the charge against promoting Rice to Secretary of State, Obama acted wisely allowing her to bow out.  With virtually no opposition to Kerry on the Senate Judiciary Committee, he’s got a cakewalk to the job.  “I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision,” said Graham, adding that Obama “has many talented people to chose from,” hinting that he’d have no problem with Kerry.  Rice lost her credibility when she blindly recited White House talking points on Benghazi.  No one—including Rice—believed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was struck with rocket-propelled-grenades by disgruntled rioters.  Rice has no one to blame but herself for saying things blindly without using her own brain.

 John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.