My favourite Condi Rice quotes of all time:-

1. 15Jan06 – Speaking to the Press after the US assignation attempt on Ayman Al-Zawahri in Damadola Pakistan left 17 people dead, including 4 children but missed the intended target. Serious riots and protests erupted across Pakistan as a result. Rice offered no apologies and refused to talk about the incident but did say this:

“It’s obviously difficult at this time for the Pakistani Government”.

Yeah, I’d say so, kind of like it would be difficult for the US government if Mexico started dropping bombs on the homes of Texas vigilantes and killing their kids.

2. 12Jun05 – A beautiful bit of rhetoric delivered at the start of Rice’s European tour against a back drop of a rising tide of demonstrable cases of US sanctioned torture, kidnapping and “disappearances” of suspects into secret gulags in Eastern Europe. Major European allies were pushing the US for details of its programs and a clear commitment to the Convention against Torture and Inhumane treatment. Rice’s comment?

“The US does not condone Torture”.

Note how this statement is not and cannot be “The US has NEVER tortured” or “The US WILL NEVER torture”. At the same time as Rice was making her US tour, VP Dick Cheney was lobbying Sen McCain to amend his bill clearly banning the use of inhumane treatment by US forces to exempt the CIA.

3. 02Oct06 - Probably the all time classic and an excellent example of the Bush regime’s inherent dishonesty and capacity for lying. Rice is denying that the CIA tried seriously to encourage her to do more to counter growing terrorist threats, during a meeting she had previously been unable to recall occurring when interrogated by the 9/11 commission.

“The Idea that I would have ignored that, I find incomprehensible”

Ignore it she did, as the National Security Advisor she let her boss take the month of August off and the following month, as predicted by the CIA, by the PDB of Aug 6th, Osama Bin Laden organises and executes a massive attack in the USA involving hijacked aircraft.

4. 13May04 – This would rank as one of the funniest TV moments of all time if the results of the Bush gang’s incompetence wasn’t so tragic. Rice is testifying before the 9/11 commission and after her opening statement and a series of softball questions during which she sets a scene in which all the intelligence reports from the CIA indicate that there was no NEW threat and advises the commission that the CIA and FBI were actively working to chase up all leads and that essentially she and President were taking no action because there was nothing to be done that wasn’t already being done. In addition she indicates that no new intelligence concerning threats in the USA came to light in the 6th August Presidential Daily Briefing which required any action or her part. When asked what the title of the PDB for 6th August was, she answered somewhat petulantly;

“I believe that the title was, Bin Laden Determined to Attack inside the United States.”

No comment is necessary.

5. 16Jul06 – A press briefing by Rice at the G8 summit in Russia, shortly after the IDF had begun bombing Lebanon. Dr Rice was asked a number of questions about Israel’s actions and specifically if she felt that Israel was showing restraint.

“…..And so the Israelis themselves have said that they want to spare innocent civilian life; they themselves have said that they are mindful of problems of civilian infrastructure -- they’ve said this to me – and of the humanitarian situation.”

For reference, at the time of the UN brokered ceasefire 14th August, almost a month after Condi received assurances from Israel, the body count was:

· 63 Hezbollah members were killed in Lebanon
· 1,238 Lebanese civilians were killed by Israeli forces, 400 of these deaths were children.
· Over 4,000 Lebanese civilians have been wounded, of which 1,000 are children.
· 35,000 homes have been destroyed in Lebanon with over 100,000 people made homeless.
· 80 bridges and 94 road flyovers have been destroyed in Lebanon.
· 350 Lebanese schools were destroyed or severely damaged by the IDF.
· Israeli casualties were 117 military personnel killed.
· 43 Israeli civilian deaths.

They said it to you Dr. Rice but they did not mean a single syllable of it. This much should have been apparent to you from the beginning, assuming of course that you have any inclination of foreign policy or interest in history. The USA aided and abetted in the slaughter in Lebanon and Dr. Rice in conjunction with Ambassador Bolton carried out the diplomatic effort to ensure that no cease-fire was possible and that Israel could withstand any international pressure. The blood of 400 children is on your hands.


6. Jan05 – During her Senate confirmation hearings, Dr Rice uttered this rather ironic observation on Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez’s democratic credentials,

“We are very concerned about a democratically elected leader who governs in an illiberal way, and some of the steps he’s taken against the media, against the opposition, I think are really very troubling.”

Coming from the Bush administration, that has got to hurt and embarrass Mr Chavez.

7. 25Oct05 – How could we miss this gem?

“Well, I think the word of the United States has been as good as gold in its international dealings and its agreements”


As Kos points out, the very same day the Washington Post demonstrates that her statement is bullshit. Lets not even start on the ABM treaties, the ICC, the Doha trade talks, the EU open skies talks, the Geneva conventions or UN Human rights.

The best quote about Dr Rice comes from Sen Boxer (D Ca.)

“I personally believe – this is my personal view – that your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell the war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth.”

…and yourself, and your country and the lives of 50,000 Iraqi civilians and the concept of justice, democracy and freedom from tyranny.