These occasional paeans to the brilliant and talented Condoleezza Rice never cease to amaze me. Among some in the ranks of political commentary, Rice somehow is perceived as a strong and independent voice in the Bush administration, or even as held back by the manifest limitations of that administration, against her own better judgment. You’d think that after seven years of observing this bunch, people would know better. But apparently not. In this latest version by Applebaum, the line is that Rice lacked a strong position within the administration to be able to persuade the president of her superior judgment on, well you name it: the doomed plans for the Iraq War, the dysfunction between the Defense and State Depts., the horrendous detainee policies, and so on. As Applebaum puts it, “Until she had the staff and the prestige of the Department of State behind her, [Rice] implies, all she could do was mediate.” I suppose when you’re just a measly National Security Advisor, no one is going to give a hoot what you think.

Of course this whole line of thinking is utter nonsense, and to the extent that Rice fosters it, very underhanded, craven and self-serving revisionism. In reality, Rice’s tenure as Secretary of State is right in keeping with Colin Powell’s ineffectiveness in that role. Her only role in the administration – her singular talent – has been to sit safely on the sidelines of substantive discussions, then wheedle her way into the president’s granite-encased brain, figure out what he wants (i.e., what Cheney, and until last year Rumsfeld, have connived to convince him of), and communicate that back to the president in a way that assures him that “yeah, that’s what I want,” and then to the outside world with more of an academic and PR gloss than Bush is able to muster. In short, she has no substantive role, never has, in this administration. As another frayster once succinctly put it, she “flips the pancakes.”

Rice strikes me as very similar to Alberto Gonzales in her place in the administration, and in the political landscape. Regardless of whatever talents she may possess, she got where she is by hitching her wagon squarely onto Bush in the only way that is possible, by sucking up to him and ignoring/camouflaging his deficiencies. And when the Bush administration rides off next January, she’ll ride off with them (if she doesn’t take an earlier train out), most likely never to amount to much of anything in national politics or government again. She’ll write a dull and loyal book, again to be chock full of revisionist history no doubt, and take a professorship somewhere.

Unlike Gonzales, though, Rice has done comparatively well in the PR department, at least on her own behalf. Indeed, that has been her only thing that comes close to success. But try as she may to keep her finely manicured hands clean of the mess created by this administration, all the blood and dirt from that mess can’t be avoided or powdered over. She has been the chief apologist for a horrendous foreign policy, and I suspect her story in the end is one of talent squandered by weakness of character and seduction of power.

Exactly. The Rice foreign policy has been the Bush foreign policy... that is: no foreign policy. What has she ever brought back from any of her jaunts around the world. They laugh up their sleeves at her - no respect over there, nor Stateside. It's good she wrote the book, 'cause history will not quid pro quo.

C'mon ... the Bush administration invaded 2 countries and pissed off at least the populace, if not most governments of the developped world ... if this is not foreign policy, then what is?

I had missed this post but must share my strong sense that Rice's rise is amongst the most disturbing of many flawed careers in Washington. She is the one least likely to retire. She has done great damage--internationally and institutionally. As she is a global personality, I feel free to comment that she is a dubious role model, which is something she likes to stand as. As with Hillary, I find it is women who are most sensitive to criticism of Rice. They misunderstand the point. Thanks for helping cleanse the polticall-correct lenses.

I don't really question Condi's intelligence or other talents -- but she sold her soul to the Devil in the form of the Bush administration, and will never escape the terms of that Faustian bargain.

Colin Powell did somewhat the same -- but at least had the character to step down -- too late to escape responsibility, but perhaps at least soon enough to be able to preserve some modicum of integrity.

A tragedy in both cases.