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| Rice breaks with Bush over anthem |
| 2006-04-30 |
| US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a rare public break with her boss, saw no problem with a Spanish-language version of the national anthem criticised by US President George W. Bush. Mr Bush last week added a new dimension to a debate over immigration by rejecting a Latino recording of Nuestro Himno (Our Anthem) and declaring the Star-Spangled Banner should be sung in English. But Dr Rice, one of the president's closest aides who has backed him down the line on every issue from Iraq to national security wiretaps, took a different tack on the anthem. "From my point of view, people expressing themselves as wanting to be Americans is a good thing," she said in an interview on CBS television's Face the Nation program. "I've heard the national anthem done in rap versions, country versions, classical versions. The individualisation of the American national anthem is quite under way," she said. The chief US diplomat suggested the language of the national anthem was less an issue than the growing polemic over immigration reform in the United States. "I think what we need to focus on is an immigration policy that is comprehensive and that recognises our laws and recognises our humanity," Dr Rice said. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 People who want Rice to run on the GOP presidential ticket in 08 are a little too starry-eyed for me. I have no idea what her political positions or skills are. I know that she will toe the presidential line in her role as Secretary of State. That qualifies her to be - Secretary of State. She could help the GOP win the presidency again in 08, just on the strength of her drawing 30% to 40% of the black vote. But what if she turns out to be a liberal on social and economic issues? We could end up with a Hillary Clinton clone on the domestic front. It's exactly like the weird adulation that GOP'ers had for Powell until we discovered what his true policy inclinations were. It's time to stop obsessing over finding a Great Black Hope for the presidential campaign. We have a lot of quality people with decent track records about to throw their hats into the ring. Rice just isn't one of them. As far as I'm concerned, until I know more about her positions on a lot of issues, preferably after she has served a few terms in an elected office, putting her in the Oval Office is like GWB putting Colin Powell in at State, but far, far more dangerous to conservative causes. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-04-30 19:12 |
| #5 Can't comment now - got to go shred my 'Condi 08' bumper stickers. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-04-30 17:09 |
| #4 That's because Republicans can't afford to piss off the Latino vote. I'm glad someone had the brains to figure that out. I have a feeling people ain't gonna like Dr. Rice in 2008, not with that pro-immigration stance. Oh well. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2006-04-30 16:00 |
| #3 Backtracking for Bush who spoke his mind withuot thinking and self censoring for once. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-04-30 15:27 |
| #2 But... but.... but... Isn't rice a bushhitler puppet? /channelling the LLL (and yes the lack of capitalization is an intentional sign of their disrespect for both Dr. Rice (PhD) and PRESIDENT Bush.) |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-04-30 14:27 |
| #1 Positioning herself for a run for President? |
| Posted by: john 2006-04-30 12:56 |