Flipping the bird to a perceived foe would be considered taboo in diplomacy, no matter how great the temptation. Yet, Rice has done precisely that at a State Department meeting. She has also made a number of enemies in her short time on the national scene. Not a quality that is exactly admired in the world of diplomacy. She is known for having a quick trigger, and though able to be loyal to Obama and his policies, she has been unable, or unwilling to recognize when events or circumstances change, and react in a positive way. Her colleagues at the UN love her, but not for the right reasons. They see her as weak, and she leaves the U.S. with a weakened presence at the UN. Former UN Ambassador Richard Grenell has described Rice as "wildly ineffective". Others have called Susan Rice's time at the UN a "miserable" failure.
Regarding Israel, Rice has been noticeably absent. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the U.N. General Assembly, Rice decided to go to lunch, which was surely not missed by Israel, or it's enemies.
Rice also decided to skip an emergency meeting on the "Gaza-blockade", choosing to stay on vacation in Washington for the Memorial Day weekend. For Rice, BBQ's and beer trump the needs of Israel, our greatest ally and the only free democracy in the Middle East.
Other "accomplishments" of Susan Rice at the UN are:
- Failed to show up for the first two emergency Security Council meetings on the Arab Spring revolution.
- Remained silent when Iran was elected to the U.N. women’s committee,
- Sat by as Libya when it was elected to the Human Rights Council,
- Absent from the Haiti crisis meeting
- A no-show for the last open meeting scheduled before a planned UN vote to recognize Palestinian statehood.
For these reasons alone , you would expect that the Russians would be happy to have Susan Rice as Secretary of State. But the Russians have indicated that they feel she is a choice who would strain US/Russian relations., saying she is "too ambitious and aggressive". It makes you wonder if she flips the bird to everyone she disagrees with.
Rice has neither the talent, nor the temperament for Secretary of State.
Susan Rice’s tarnished resume
By Dana Milbank, Published: November 16
President Obama had a rare “bring-it-on” moment when ABC News’s Jonathan Karl asked him about threats by Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham to block the confirmation of Susan Rice, should he nominate her for secretary of state.
“If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me,” Obama said Wednesday at his East Room news conference, defending his U.N. ambassador from charges that she misled the public about attacks on Americans in Libya.
“For them to go after the U.N. ambassador . . . and to besmirch her reputation, is outrageous. And, you know, we’re after an election now.”
It was reminiscent of his put-down of McCain in early 2010, when at a health-care forum he reminded his former opponent: “The election’s over.”
Obama’s over-the-top defense of Rice was surprising, particularly in contrast to the president’s relative indifference in accepting the resignation of CIA chief David Petraeus, one of the most capable public servants. And it was disappointing, because McCain, even if wrong on the particulars, is right about Rice. She is ill-equipped to be the nation’s top diplomat for reasons that have little to do with Libya.
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