evolution

Here’s another in a long line of snotty and condescending editorials decrying the appointment of Condoleezza Rice as the next Secretary of State, written by yet another leftist at yet another newspaper (the KC Star: America doesn’t need robot at State.

Not only are George W. Bush and Rice pals, but her foreign policy background helped compensate for his lack of foreign policy experience or, for that matter, interest. This symbiotic working relationship at first seemed good for the country. Under her tutelage, he wouldn’t look so foolish and the nation could be kept on a secure and steady course.

But then the unimaginable happened. Something strange and awful. The brilliant “Dr. Rice,” who diplomat Josef Korbel took under his wing, went Stepford on us. Rice began showing signs of becoming like those women in Ira Levin’s 1972 novel who had returned from a long weekend “away.”

The former Stanford provost had been replaced by a Stepford wife. There were no signs of independent intelligent life from the woman with a Ph.D. from Notre Dame. She became the perfect wife to an imperfect husband. (Remember that time Rice was at a social gathering and made that Freudian slip about “my husband”? Most people assumed she meant “W.”)

In the past four years, Rice checked her brains at the door, assumed a helmet hairdo and stood by her man. She assumed her place alongside actresses Katharine Ross, Paula Prentiss and Tina Louise who played the “Diz” creations in the original film adaptation. When “W” spoke, she looked on adoringly. When critics questioned him, she stood in the shadows where her eyes darkened and her lips pursed like someone eating a sour pickle. She no longer made sense.

One would not have known that someone had unscrewed Rice’s head and replaced it with another’s but for a few tell-tale signs.

Consider: When she testified under protest before the Sept. 11 commission, Rice provided the first public mention of a key document that was part of the presidential daily briefing a month before the attacks.

In response to some tough questions by commission member Richard Ben-Veniste, Rice was matter of fact, as though she were rattling off a grocery list. Bread, cheese, milk, detergent and, oh, yes, “Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S.”

While some at the public hearing seemed shocked to learn of this document and its title, Rice appeared nonplussed. Any moment you expected her to interrupt Jamie Gorelick’s questioning with, “Did you know Easy-Off makes oven cleaning easier?”

Truly disgusting.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 21st, 2004 at 09:24 and is filed under media bias. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.