Should Condi Rice Be on the Campaign Trail?

Our international credibility is shot, our allies are puzzled by our failure to get things done, our foreign policy is a fiasco and Condolezza Rice is once again on the campaign trail. In the last five years, even when she was the national security adviser, Rice has spent far too much of her time doing what is essentially public relations for Bush and far too much time getting things wrong. Our nation needs a real foreign policy, not another neoconservative talking head. Glenn Kessler of The Washington Post has the story:

Two weeks before crucial midterm elections that could tip the balance of power in Congress, Rice has been on a media blitz that appears aimed mainly at conservative media outlets, particularly radio talk shows. Secretary of state is traditionally a nonpartisan position, and Rice's media itinerary differs sharply from the practice of her predecessors during election campaigns, according to State Department records.

Rice has given nine interviews on radio, starting with three appearances on Oct. 24 during "Radio Day," when 42 radio hosts, most of them conservatives, were invited to the White House to spread the administration's message to President Bush's political base.

In the past two days, Rice has appeared on four radio shows, including that of Ingraham, a best-selling author for her books that attack liberal "elites"; Bill Cunningham, a Cincinnati conservative; and Glenn Beck, another conservative, who appears on nearly 200 stations.

Telling the American people more stories that no one believes any more is a poor use of a secretary of state. Like George W. Bush, Condi Rice should be devoting all her attention to cleaning up the mess in Iraq and elsewhere. If she's running for president, she should step down so that someone else can do her job.

P.S. Same goes for Rumsfeld.


Note: Posting may be sporadic for the next three days. All I can say is get out and vote. Nothing will change in our country unless the voters show up and lead the way. When our leaders fail, it's the voters who have to lead. It's that fundamental.