http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nati...7636_story.html

Republicans seriously don't want her as Secretary of State, which is by no means an easy job (If I may add Hillary's been excellent). Obama rebukes their remarks.

Overreacting by the GOP once more? Or is Obama making a blunder in hiring a person who's neck deep in the surrounding controversey about Benghazi?

The way he responded forcefully about Rice in the press conference, I think he's calling their bluff. He may think he has the numbers for confirmation, and maybe he wants to put a sword through the right-wing's Benghazi hysteria.

EDIT - which incidentally I believe will get overshadowed by Petreaeus not keeping his pants on.

EDIT 2 -

CIA: We Didn’t Ask for Help During Benghazi Attack

According to a Pentagon timeline made public last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta prepared multiple military responses from the region at around midnight Benghazi time, more than two hours after the initial assault began. Those orders included mobilizing two special Marine platoons known as Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) from Rota, Spain, to deploy to Tripoli and Benghazi. Panetta also ordered a special operations force, training in central Europe, to deploy at the Signonella Airbase in Italy. Another special operations team based in the United States also prepared to deploy to Libya. The CIA, however, requested none of that assistance. Neither did the State Department. None of those teams ever arrived in Benghazi.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/20...azi-attack.html

I'm hearing (several times yesterday) that the Republicans don't want President Obama to choose Rice for Sec. State, they want him to choose John Kerry SO THEN they can run Scott Brown again for Kerry's seat? Do you think this could possibly be what it is all about?


TIS

Kerry should get the job if only to avoid all the controversy. He's more than qualified.

She is not neck deep in the Libya thing. She's ambassador to the UN and was only repeating what she was told by the CIA whether it was correct or not. This is just bitterness by the GOP who can't get over losing two presidential elections in a row. She is qualified to be Sec of State, although Hillary is a tough act to follow. Kerry is either going to State or defense and it will open his seat in Mass. Look for Brown to run but keep in mind Joseph P. Kennedy III (I think) just got elected to congress. I think he will jump in if Kerry goes to the cabinet.

I thought Hillary had that position. Ever since I've been in VA, I havent been watching the news.

Hillary didn't like that postition. It hurt her back. Monica Lewinsky has it now.

I thought that position hurt Lewinsky's knees.

I don't believe Rice is qualified. The whole Benghazi thing aside, she's not a good choice for the job. Kerry would do a much better job and the GOP would stop bitching. As for the Scott Brown theory it's anyone's guess, but let me say he deserves that seat a lot more than Elizabeth warren who I consider a stooge and a hypocrite

You said a mouthful.

I'm glad you agree. Some people find that hard to swallow.

You win .

Why?
She's a Rhodes Scholar, who besides being the current United States Ambassador to the United Nations, she also served on the staff of the National Security Council and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Susan Rice goes on the talk show circuit with bad info after 4 Americans were killed in a terrorist attack. Republicans want her fired, discredited, investigated and/or prevented from getting another job.

Republicans launch a war in Iraq with (deliberately?) bad info about WMD. Thousands of Americans die and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis die. The Republican response is "move on, nothing to see here, support the troops!".

This is all just silly partisan nonsense. Rice is just as qualified as any other neo-liberal corporatist careerist. When McCain called for the firings/impeachment of Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Powell, Feith, etc I was right there supporting the maverick Senator. Only he didn't....

^^QFT^^
It's completely laughable that the man that was willing to put Sarah Palin 1 step away from the White House, is saying the things that he is about Susan Rice.
The news said it best last night. What's going to happen at the confirmation hearings when you have a bunch of old, angry, white men, beating up on a black women? I'm sure it will do wonders for the GOP.

I like that McCain, so incensed by this "controversy," he skipped a classified briefing by the intelligence community on the matter.

In McCain's defense, he may have been lured away with an Oreo and a glass of warm milk. Today he seems more like the Yankee Bean Guy on Seinfeld than the war hero that he is.

I feel sorry for McCain. He's turned into a bitter, nasty old man. In 2000, he was my candidate of choice. Unfortunately, he had no fight in him during the primaries, and he let Bush get away with the vile, awful things he said about him and his family.

Pretty much how I feel, Lou .

Also in his defense, only 3 Republicans(!) of the 8 on that committee which received the intelligence briefing actually attended.

Yeah the right wingers have their own intelligence service. Why need the CIA when you have Fox News?

Yes. At some point they will have to let go of this, if only to see clearly what to do for 2016. I think President Obama will haunt some Republicans the way Bush or Reagan did for Democrats. But that's tough.

I've liked McCain over the years. I don't know what the hell he was thinking when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, but though he's conservative, he's not too extreme and he's called bullshit on his own party at times which I admired him for. But he does seem a bit crankier lately.

I've said this here before, JoeSchmoe. But I think McCain subconsciously wanted to lose in 2008. If he picked Romney back then, they might be looking at their second term coming up. Then again, maybe not. But he would have had at least a fighting chance without that pinhead Palin.

I don't think he could have won no matter who he picked. It was a perfect storm for Obama with the country trying to rebound from 8 years of Bush. The Democrats could have ran just about anyone, and they probably would have won.

I agree. Obama had too much going for him in 2008, plus with the backlash against Bush, no Republican was getting elected again even if McCain had picked someone suitable for VP.

Like JL said, If McCain had won the nomination back in 2000, I think we would have a very different world right now. And I'm pretty sure he would have gotten my vote back then.

I don't believe he chose Palin. I think he was too moderate at the time for many Republicans, and I think she was forced down his throat. I just remember hearing about the choice and I was like, "Who?".

The man that picked Sarah Palin as his running mate has the balls to call her "not very bright".

Early Accomplishments -
She was born on 26 October 1947 in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947 to Hugh and Dorothy Rodham, and grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, along with her two younger brothers, Hugh and Tony.
Growing up, she played tennis, softball and volleyball, enjoyed swimming, ballet and skating, and was active in Girls Scouts and in the local Methodist youth group.
She was a high-achiever at school, found all her lessons easy.
Young Adult Accomplishments -
In 1965, she got admission into Wellesley College. She graduated with honors.
She went on to study at Yale Law School and served on the Board of Editors of the Yale Review of Law and Social Action.
She met and started dating Bill Clinton at Yale.
Career Accomplishments:
She joined the Children's Defense Fund as a staff attorney in 1973.
In 1974, she was invited to join the Impeachment Inquiry staff of the judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives.
She joined the law faculty of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
She founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families and served on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital.
She started the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters.
She was named Arkansas' Woman of the Year in 1983 and its Young Mother of the Year in 1984.
She was named one of the top 100 lawyers by the "National Law Journal" in 1988 and 1991.
She became the only First Lady to compete for a Senate seat and to win in the state of New York.
According to Sean Robertson of Daily Kos, she did the following as Senator -
She endorsed bills to 'extend period of unemployment assistance to victims of 9/11', 'pay for city projects in response to 9/11', 'assist landmine victims in other countries', 'assist family caregivers in accessing affordable respite care' and 'Designate part of the National Forest System in Puerto Rico as protected in the Wilderness Preservation System'.
She passed resolutions to name courthouses after Thurgood Marshall and James L. Watson, and post offices after John A. O'Shea and Sergeant Riayan A. Tejeda.
She voted to designate August 7, 2003 as National Purple Heart Recognition Day and swore to support the goals and ideals of National Purple Heart Recognition Day and also, on a separate occasion, the goals and ideals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.
She congratulated the Syracuse University Orange Men's Lacrosse Team and the Le Moyne College Dolphins Men's Lacrosse Team on winning the lacrosse championships.
She passed resolutions to establish the Kate Mullany National Historic Site, to establish the 225th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemorative Program, and to recognize the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
She passed resolutions to honor the respective lives and achievements of the late Alexander Hamilton, Shirley Chisholm, John J. Downing, Brian Fahey, and Harry Ford.

She is currently campaigning to become the Democratic National Committee's nominee for the 2008 Presidential elections.
Personal Accomplishments -
In 1975, she left a promising career in Washington and "followed her heart to Arkansas". Arkansas was where Bill Clinton was, and there she married him.
Her daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980, was shielded from too much public attention, and has grown up into a normal, well-turned-out young lady.
Hillary Clinton supported her husband's political career and stood by her man when he became president, even when he did her dirty.
She always "had big dreams and willing to make the sacrifices to make them happen."
One of her favorite topics is the need "to find the right balance in our lives."
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hillary-clinton-accomplishments.html

Not mentioned because the site was old is that she was named secretary of state and did a good job.

That's what Hillary's accomplishments have been. You don't follow up someone like her with a person who you know is just going to piss off Republicans (even moderates like McCain and Graham) and was tied closely to a huge controversy whether or not she was involved.

Just choose John Kerry and be done with it.

It isn't the President's job to pick someone who isn't going to "piss off John McCain and Lindsey Graham". He can pick anyone he likes as long as they're qualified. Susan Rice is more than qualified. The only reason they won't fight a Kerry pick is because they would want his vacated Senate seat, and they'd have a good chance of getting it with Scott Brown.

...And the John McCain being a moderate ship sailed about a decade ago. He's as far right now on many issues as anyone in the Senate.

It's true he can pick anyone he likes. But this woman is not qualified compared to so many the President could pick. And no he doesn't have to cater to the GOP, but he does have to be tactful and look at a situation and say "hmmm, what effect will this have?"

Things are shaky enough as it is with Congress, this just adds fuel to the fire. They need to focus on the fiscal cliff, and tossing Susan Rice's name to a high ranking job within the White House is not a good idea.