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Rice: "I Don't Do Politics"

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke today about the race issues in America and revealed the truth behind speculation of her vice presidential candidacy:

She isn't running for anything.

As the top-ranking African American in the Bush Administration, some political analysts have put bets on Rice as a contender for VP.

Yet, she says running for office is "sort of not in my genes."

Rice did have some interesting comments about black patriotism in America, however:

"There is a paradox for this country and a contradiction of this country and we still haven't resolved it. ... But what I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them, and that's our legacy."

What do you think Rice's legacy will be? How will history books record her tenure in office? Do you think she will ever enter the world of politics?

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Her legacy? COMPLETE FAILURE. She got nothing done. WAR and 4,000+ dead American GIs, that's your legacy. A sock puppet the entire time for her boss and the party. A Cold War relic so stuck in the past that they emboldened their ol' foes in North Korea, China, and Russia. Ahhh, just like old times. Just pour on the fear and boy it is 1982 all over again.

You don't do politics...yeah uh huh. Perhaps you should because you are worth diddly squat as a foreign policy "expert" and diplomat. The sooner you, Bush, and Cheney step off the scene the better. They are going to have Hell to pay on Judgement Day.

Sent by Thomas B. | 12:12 AM ET | 03-29-2008

No matter what anyone thinks of Dr. Rice, ya just got to give it up for that comment-snippet: Black people loved this country even when...
Does sound familiar???maybe she heard it from some Black preacher somewhere.
Anyway, just goes to show even people who associate themselves with war mongers and disseminate false information can say accurate things when not controlled by idiots; the shoe buying during Katrina insensitivity notwithstanding.
By-the-by, have you read the Alice Walker writing to her feminist sisters?

Sent by audiodramatist | 2:23 AM ET | 03-29-2008

Her legacy will be that she faithfully followed her leader into the bowels of hell with respect to this war...and took all of us (and several other countries) with her.

What a poor follow-on to Colin Powell.

Sent by Lalita Amos | 9:20 AM ET | 03-29-2008

Unfortunately for her, I think a lot of people in the black community are going to remember her shopping for shoes in NYC as New Orleans was drowning.

Granted she's the Secretary of State and her job is to focus on international matters but many felt that she of all people should have been doing more then just taking a vacation.

Sent by BC Planning | 11:51 PM ET | 03-30-2008

Ms. Rice will be remember for the numerous, unsuccessful trips she mae to the middle east and Russia. She will also be remember for her wonderful dress sense and nice legs. Pity, she could have really had a successful run, had she not blindly followed Mr Bush in a war that has cost my country billions of dollars and innocent lives.

Sent by Thandi | 7:11 AM ET | 03-31-2008

Condi will be remembered as a very loyal(I will do or say anything you want me to Mr. President)and blind public servant. A 21st century yass-sur boss in high heels.

Sent by JC | 1:43 PM ET | 03-31-2008

Ms. Rice's legacy is inherently tied to that of the governance inwhich she has served and that has been an atrocity on exhibition. But it means little or next to nothing. I am having a bit of problem with her quoatation here: "...But what I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them, and that's our legacy.." Huh? Is this the same Ms. Rice whose parents packed her up and moved her to Denver to avoid the conflagation surrounding her and four little girl friends of hers bombed in a church in Alabama? That is hypocrisy or denial or both, Ms. Rice. Sorry, but I think you can only speak for you and it stops at the tip of your nose. At 50 and having grown it here since the age od three, I do not have any respect nor love for any nation that commits genocide against its native populace on the one hand and enslaves and works to near genocide another [African] populace to enhance the wealth building of its native on the other. Let me be clear, the economic foundations and wealth of this nation were on the sweat blood and free labour of a majority of Africans from cotton, sugar and tobacco in the early years to sharecropping and indentured servitude from 1865 to 1973. Your nation, Ms. Rice, has yet to date acknowledge nor apologise for its marred beginnings and its policies of racism and genocide to a host of peoples who constructed the foundations of the post-genocide of native populations nation. Finally, if your so-called nation had any respect of Africans explain the systemic burgeoning populating of its prison industrial complex with brown and black males instead the white collar and white men criminals of Wall Street?

Sent by Mr. K Mjumbe | 3:46 PM ET | 04-02-2008

Addendum: To Ms. L. Amos posting further up... Ms. Amos-- recalled it was Mr. Powell who was then Sec. of State during the reign of terror series one [two four-year series of terror series i am terming them here] under "W" who went before the United Nations and did the "yessah boss these here is WMDs for sho nuff" jig before all the nations who are signatores of the UN complete with CIA [and/or MI5/6, Israeli] dummied up intelligence information that was all bogus as pretexted for the murder of Saddam Hussein, his sons, and the conflagration/quagmire that is Iraq today. Of course, his father did almost the same thing in Panama in his 1989 military invasion of that Carribean nation and violation of its sovereignty. And Nixon did as much in the Carribean island of Grenada.

The pattern of the government is quite clear. Military murder and mayhem is nation-states that are governed primarily by people of colour [since World War II barring Bosnia] that do not submit to the Western paradigm of what is deem "good governance". But really, it is not up to the peoples who live day in and day out within a nation-state to determine what is and is not good governance for them without outside concepts and influence? But C.Powell has just as much to do with Iraq as Ms. Rice they both have the blood of the people on their hands.

Further, why would Ms. Rice need to run for office. What with a book deal or two, maybe a 150K advance on it/them, lecture honoria, think-tank consulting fees, etc. who needs an underpaid political career. She can always wind up with her chummy buddy, Rumsfeld at Stanford University and go have tea with Colin's son, Michael, in Santa Clara and they can all have tea with George Schultz and chat it up about the ole times on the beltway

Sent by K Mjumbe | 4:23 AM ET | 04-03-2008

In response to Mr. K Mjumbe's first comment(I'll warn readers first, this is more of a social commentary/rant, than a comment of the article at hand); I don't believe the U.S. needs to apologize to the natives or the African Americans or any other ethnicity that resides in the U.S. simply for the reason that it's not really needed. Yes they were terribly tragic events, but they're done now and the world is a totally different place, as well as the country and its government. The United States has equality written into it's supreme law; It just took a while for the people in charge to realize what exactly equality meant.

I don't agree with apologizing on a personal level as well. I'm a descendent of immigrants from Italy & Sweden, among other European nations, and my ancestors were terribly working class. My ancestors never owned a slave, never participated in a genocide against the native Americans, and fought along with African Americans for social equality for everybody in the U.S. regardless of ethnic or social background.

As far as the prison statistics go, they put themselves in there. Crimes on Wall Street aren't as obvious as shooting somebody in a drive by. It's unfortunate that "Black & Brown males", as you put it, have placed themselves into their own social stereotypes. They think it's the cool thing to do, which is why they keep returning to prison after they've been released. American society has a will of its own, in each neighborhood, on each street, including Wall Street. They can change their ways as soon as they're ready. As soon as criminals from a gang beating an honest "snitch" and other crimes become something frowned upon in the community instead of a community event, it'll stop.

Finally, it's Dr. Condoleezza Rice, PhD, not Ms. Rice. Like her or not, she's at least earned that.

Sent by A.M.O. | 11:28 PM ET | 04-03-2008

A.M.O can you seriously and honestly look at the disparities in the American prison population and simply chalk them up to "'Black and Brown males' placing themselves" there?

When blacks comprise only 13 percent of the national population, but 30 percent of people arrested, 41 percent of people in jail, and 49 percent of those in prison!
So did all racists and the vicious culture they promoted miraculously become extinct sometime within the past 40 - 50 years. Look at the numbers, I think they just changed clothes

Sent by OD | 3:06 PM ET | 04-08-2008



   
   
   
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