Associated Press
American Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.
As part of the larger smear campaign against Susan Rice, most Senate Republicans have focused on Benghazi and the intelligence available four days after the attack. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), however, brought up a new line of criticism this week -- by focusing on an old crisis.
After Rice paid Collins a courtesy visit, the Maine Republican told reporters that Rice served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs when al Qaeda attacked American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania: "What troubles me so much is the Benghazi attack in many ways echoes the attacks on those embassies in 1998, when Susan Rice was head of the African region for our State Department."
David Corn reports on just how wrong Collins is.
[Collins questioned] whether Rice was somehow partially responsible for security failures that led to hundreds of casualties in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania when she was assistant secretary of state for African affairs. Yet State Department reports undermine Collins' expanded line of attack. [...]
With this remark, Collins was suggesting that Rice had screwed the pooch in 1998. It's a powerful charge, suggesting Rice's supposed inaction may have played a role in the deaths of hundreds. But that's not what a State Department inquiry found.
Corn found that one of the ambassadors in Africa asked for greater security before the 1998 attack, and in that case, additional security was indeed provided.
And what did the State Department inquiry have to say about Rice? Nothing. She had no role in making decisions about security or embassy operations.
In other words, Collins' superficial criticisms rely on child-like reasoning: 14 years ago, Rice was the assistant secretary of state for African affairs; two U.S. embassies were attacked in Africa; ergo, there's something wrong with Rice's record.
This makes about as much sense as condemning Rice for appearing on a Sunday show -- which as it turns out, is the other deeply ridiculous talking point Collins is pushing. All things considered, it looks like the senator owes the ambassador an apology.
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Senator Collins was also troubled- deeply troubled- that in 1988 when Susan Rice was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, earning her PhD, she met with- actually spoke to!- a Communist!
Political theater doesn't work if the crowds don't show up. But MSNBC dutifully covers it because it is stuff that is really happening. So they wander from spectacle to spectacle while the pickpockets work the crowd, safely out of sight of the cameras.
Another news cycle goes to nonsense that is the political story analog of tabloid press stories like "Cow Pregnant with Alien Child".
The key skill in the Con, is controlling where your mark's eyes and attention is focused. One would think "journalists" would see through, and be able to find a way to unmask the charade, and report what is really going on closer to when it is happening, rather than years later when the facts no longer have political leverage.
They really REALLY want Scott Brown back in the Senate!
John Mess: Thats a sitting and supposedly "moderate" United States Senator saying these things. It's newsworthy, get over it. It's a chess game, the Republicans have no leverage so they sling mud. The fact that a sitting Senator is so willing to lie and distort is something that people interested in the truth are interested in. I want to know my represenitives have fealty to the actual truth. Apparently Susan Collins does not, and the more Americans who find that out, the better.
Next up: Susan Rice responsible for Susan Collins not having a prom date.
As Rachel so precisely pointed out the other night, all of the Republican’s charges and questions have been answered including Susan Collins most recent blind swing at the piñata that isn't there. Although, as they have so consistently demonstrated, I'm sure this won't stop them from continuing to swing away.
I would prefer all of our representatives actually worked toward problem solving instead of problem smearing. However, the more Republicans continue to be so obvious about their divisive politics that has no base in reality, the more the country will move away from this and toward progressive leadership. John has it right. While none of us are surprised by Republicans continuing to do this, it is maddening that far too many within the press let Republicans continue their pick-pocketing venture without checking their pockets. I'm fine with journalists pressing Susan Rice and the administration with the Republican charges that they are misleading the American people for political purposes. But journalists also have a duty to press Republicans on the fact that the answers to these charges demonstrate its Republicans who are misleading the American people for political purposes. And this is not happening.
We all understand the reality that politics, can in part, be viewed as a game, but we also understand it isn't a game. If Republicans throw out trash to slander someone and reporters allow them to do it for weeks they have to also spend weeks clearing away that trash so the slander doesn't unjustly bury a public servant like Susan Rice. They also have to clear away this trash so when the actual professionals who are investigating the Benghazi tragedy present their findings, we can focus on what went right, what went wrong, adjust accordingly and deliver justice so the brave men and women who put their lives on the line, have everything they need to continue to carry out their missions. After all, they are continuing the work of those who have already given their lives for these missions and all of us.
The teapubs are really, really, really angry because Rice didn't come out and name names, dates, including all kinds of sensitive information so they could charge Rice, Clinton and Obama with treason for releasing such information.
Nevermind that Issa should be charged with something amounting to treason for posting sensitive information, but THAT doesn't count because as a teapub HE can do it.
JohnMesserly is correct when he calls this a con. What is Collins going to do if any of the NBC networks and its affiliates will not give her coverage of her silliness? Not come on the network talk shows because that would hurt NBC? The media is a willing accomplice to these spectacles and the coverage of them feeds the actors to perform even more. Pull down the curtain and let us see if anyone can hear them squawking when there are no TV cameras.
Susan Collins: never ever a "moderate", just an enabler of Nazis. The political equivalent of a sexist word that can't be said anymore.
Mike: The chattering class tends to chatter, alot. You can't not cover a press conference following a meeting about the S.O.S. nomination or Libya. Better to put it out for all to see, intellectual people loathe hypocrites. So what if it's a "con", the amount of people who believe the "con" gets smaller everyday these bloviators bloviate. Susan Collins will vote to confirm Rice, or she will be given a pass.
Being owed and apology and actually getting one, are two completely separate and different things. I wouldn't hold your breath on actually receiving an apology from any of these Sen at all.
Your saving a lot of lives by recommending none of us hold our breath for an apology, but none of us should stop demanding one and more of us, especially elected Democrats, should start demanding one.
Collins has taken any sense of 'moderation' and crumbled it up, stomped on it, then peed on the remains.
Let us never refer to her as 'moderate' again, 'kay?
Senator Collins is an idiot.
I will send Collins a letter... She just flushed her cred down a low-flow toilet...
Republicans, as an overall representation of American politics, just had their collective ass handed to them on Nov 6th. By ganging up on Ms Rice, they are taking the chance that they can somehow win a public argument, and therefore stock back up on political capital. They want to build a scenario where they seem to have a public victory: Either Obama will not nominate her for SoS and they will crow 'victory' or he will and the R's in the Senate will obstruct, and again crow 'victory'.
Leave it to the R's to construct a scenario where everyone loses, and they crow 'victory'.
This is obviously about Kerry and his senate seat but I am a little mystified that they would think they could actually pick it let alone get Scott Brown elected. The only way I can see it happening is if they think the Tea Party is sufficiently pissed off enough to turn out heavily. There must be something else going on here maybe they think Rice has a blue dress in her closet or something
well she has lose any respect from me for being a Republican, Susan you are now nothing but a Teapublican!
not that i think you were ever moderate just like your twin Snow, sure you all spoke so moderate until you had a change to show it, then you just went along with the gang.
so that makes you knowing better then a follower of the wrong gang!
Further proof there are no "good Republicans."
One would think that after the dumbest republicans running for office in my lifetime were handed pink slips in the election the remaining republicans would ease up on the whole "make it all up as you go along " style of politics. This episode proves to me that there aren't any republicans worth keeping in Washington. You only have crybabies and spineless dunces that allow crybabies to define them in the republican party now. We'll have to split the Democratic party up just to have a cogent debate on real issues.
Nope, they think that their message is flawless and their only mistake was using the wrong advertising agency.
This is what "blame America first" really is. Instead of blaming the terrorists, who may have hidden behind a protest about a movie, the Republicans are blaming an American woman. They are not interested in the truth or protecting America. They are intent on trying to damage President Obama. Period.
When a drone takes out a city block full of women, children, and non combatants in order to take out one *suspected* terrorist there is a tendency to blame America.
Once again, Irish Pat missed catching the fly ball due to his hitting the Guiness too early. Back to the bogs, paddy boy.
LOL
i can see why a Yankees fan would want people to believe baseball season is over, cause they got their high paying low performance a$$es handed to them in 4 games.
Grant for the moment Senator Collins' thesis that being on the Africa desk when embassies in Africa were attacked in 1998 constitutes a prima facie disqualification for office. I'm left trying to remember who was in charge of the United States when it was attacked three years later.
:) Yes, Karen Finney brought that up as soon as Susan Collins made her idiot statement. I think Karen's exact words were... "Do we really want to go there?"
Republicans (most of them anyhow) have zero touch of reality. They are a live-action reality-not show.
"In other words, Collins' superficial criticisms rely on child-like reasoning:...."
In other words Collins like most of the GOTP are only capable of child-like reasoning! And why are these people in Congress again? And exactly what are their constituents thinking? The dumbing down of Americans is in full swing!
Hahahaha...., that ain't happening. Benghazi is Republican diversionary material to keep the riff-raff and Useful Idiots spasm-ing in heaving anger so they don't ever notice how GOTea actions threaten Useful Idiot interests.
There won't be an apology. They need the diversion and they need that MA Senate seat back for Scott Brown's ass to sit in.
I would hope not, but sadly it is probably true.
Who is Susan Rice speaking for when she condemns the U.N. vote for the Palestinian state? Did she do that to appease some Republicans or is Obama on board with it too?
Pretty sure she wouldn't have spoken without the consent of SoS and PotUS on that occasion.
Susan Rice represents the United States in the United Nations.
Article on the US position regarding the Palestinian vote.
Of course Obama is on board. You noticed he was the only one out there defending the Israeli Wehrmacht last week, didn't you? The Israeli tail always wags the American dog. Sheldon Addledson isn't the only big Zionist donor, there's always Haim Saban playing this side of the aisle for AIPAC.
Give Kerry the State Department if Rice runs against Brown to complete Kerry's term. This Mass Republican will vote for Rice.
Does she qualify as a Mass. resident?
Joan, it didn't matter when Willard ran for governor.
This is wishful thinking because I don't believe there is anyone from Massachusetts that can beat Brown if Kerry leaves office. The US Constitutional Qualifications for Senator are... "Every member of the Senate shall be . . . at the time of his election, a resident of the state from which he shall be chosen."
The Massachusetts Constitution requirements for US Senate residency is nine years of US citizenry and only inhabits the state on Election Day. So it's possible any US citizen can run for US Senate in Massachusetts. Incidentally the furor over Romney's Massachusetts residency when elected Governor is the state requires 9 years of Massachusetts residency for state offices. Romney did not file Massachusetts income tax returns for 1999 and 2000 as a resident of this state when he was elected governor in 2002. He amended returns in 2002 so he could qualify on paper with nine years living in the state.
I don't understand why they are so confident that Scott Brown will win again. Sure, he did better in MA than Romney, but he still lost by 8 points to a flaming liberal. Face it, the only reason he won in 2010 was because it was a historical Republican wave, and he ran against a turd sandwhich. Democrats didn't turn out and Teabaggers were foaming at the mouth because the black guy got elected. Massachusetts won't get suckered again.
Please don't blame the Tea Party for Brown's election. He won for two reasons. First, it has been proven true that Martha Coakley was such a horrible candidate anyone could beat her. Secondly, it was also proven true that the democrat's dumb proclamation it was the Kennedy's legacy we were voting for seriously underestimated the intelligence of the Massachusetts voter.
Face it. On top of an incredibly transparent attempt at an end run to get Scott Brown elected by sending bodies in front of cameras to plead for John Kerry to become Secretary of State, old Hissyfit McCain and Fussbudget Graham and their Handmaiden still couldn’t manage to get the job done by dumping all they had on Ambassador Rice, so it’s on to the next ruse. Sad.
Also... isn’t it pathetic to see how the Republicans, still actively waging their “war on women” have now included sending one of their own, Senator Collins, out in front of those cameras to be used as fodder? Totally unarmed... with senseless, invalid and baseless accusations about events that happened so long ago...
They’re afraid to bring up anything more recent... that might get Condoleezza Rice involved in the discussion. As anybody paying attention knows, she’s more guilty of misrepresentation of information to Congress than Susan Rice, certainly if one compares body counts.
So the war on women now includes war their own women... and even though their candidate has faded very slowly into the mist, his penchant for lies, dishionesty and duplicitousness still hangs in the air.