This week President George W. Bush has chosen to nominate National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to fill the position vacated by Colin Powell's resignation as Secretary of State. As a frequent advocate for diplomacy over force, Powell represented the lone voice of moderation in this ultra-conservative administration. With Rice's appointment Bush is solidifying the administration's strategy for unjustified pre-emptive war. In the absence of Powell, who was at least sometimes a dissenting voice, Bush's hubris will likely continue with devastating effects for the nation and the world.
Both of Bush's nominations thus far (Rice and former White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, who will be replacing U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft) are extremely conservative members of Bush's inner circle. Bush of late likes to say he is spending his political capital. He has interpreted the Republican's slim electoral victory as permission for anything and everything. This is of great concern to the 55.9 million Americans who did not give Bush their permission to continue his conservative folly.
Rice has been a major player in the mistakes of the past four years. Her record is no shining endorsement for four more. The Sept. 11 attacks instantly defined the Bush administration and placed the role of National Security Advisor on a higher platform than those in previous administrations. Like many other members of the administration, Rice became a public figure, predicting doom and destruction on press conferences and Sunday morning news shows. Little did we know that this was the first time Rice was concerned about terrorism.
Rice began her term facing grave warnings from the Clinton administration's national security experts, including counter-terrorism advisor Richard Clarke, about the role terrorism and al-Qaeda would play in the coming years. Clark wrote a detailed transition briefing, stressing the threat and urging Rice to act. Rice never responded. Instead Clark was demoted and denied direct communication with Rice. While it is doubtful that Rice could have prevented the attacks, having a head start on responding to terrorism could have laid the groundwork for a more effective war on terror.
Rice was also a key player in making the flawed case for the Iraq war. Rice claimed that Saddam Hussein was pursuing a nuclear weapons program, going so far as to say "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." These claims were made from shaky evidence that both weapons inspectors David Kay and Charles Duelfer believed were false. But when no weapons of mass destruction were found, Rice still claimed that "it's not as if anybody believed that Saddam Hussein was without weapons of mass destruction."
Rice's statement shows how she and other Bush administration officials ignore dissenting opinions. This creates an unhealthy vacuum that produces the negative policy consequences we have seen thus far. Bush needs a breath of fresh air in a stale administration to prevent more harmful blunders.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
