Highlights from the Rice Hearings, Part #1

I've been reading the transcripts, just for fun, and also to see what else was said besides the widely-reported Rice-Boxer catfight. Here's what I've found so far:

1) Most hysterical statement about Saddam Hussein ever: "We knew that he was an implacable enemy of the United States, who did cavort with terrorists."

2) Rice on 'living in a fear society': "If a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment and physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society. And we cannot rest until every person living in a fear society has finally won their freedom."

I would direct her attention to this report from The Hill, regarding a Senate staffer who was arrested for holding up a "No War" sign at the Bush Inauguration:

Ackerman, who said he plans to plead not guilty to the charge that he was “disorderly, loud and boisterous,” said that he thought his sign was within size restrictions and that he saw a government placard posting limits on the allowable size of signs at a security checkpoint.

But a Capitol Police spokesman, Sgt. Michael Lauer, said the Inaugural Committee clearly prohibits signs and banners. “You’re not allowed to protest on Capitol grounds unless you have permission to do so,” he said.

3) Senator Allen, after praising Reagan for calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, which paved the way for " hundreds of millions of people tasting that sweet nectar of liberty" in Central Europe, refers to the Voice of America and asks Rice what we can be broadcasting now to the Arab world to make sure they understand "our motivation or just the concepts of freedom, so that the people of Iraq and others in the Arab world have a fair and balanced view of the United States and our purposes and the concepts of individual liberty?"

You can't make this shit up.

4) Most Impressive Failure to Answer a Question:

VOINOVICH: But I am very concerned about what's going on in Serbia- Montenegro today. I'm very concerned about what's happening in Kosovo. Because I really believe that, unless things are stabilized in Serbia-Montenegro and we stabilize things in Kosovo, that we could very well have another crisis on your hands this year, particularly because we're discussing the final status of Kosovo, what's going to be happening there. I'd like to say that Mark Grossman has done a good job. I'd like to know, where is that on your priority list? And are you familiar with it? And what do you -- you know, we've got our NATO forces over there.

RICE: And so I think we have to have a new, renewed effort on that piece of it, getting our message out. We also have to have a new, renewed effort on getting our people back and forth. Because people, when they come to the United States and see who we are and can get past some of the filter of perhaps some of the sides of America that are not well-liked or respected, I think do come away with a different view of us. And so I will have a strong emphasis on getting our message out, on getting the truth to people, on diminishing the -- on doing something to mitigate against the propaganda that's out there against us, but also on going to our long-time partners and friends, and saying, We have a common purpose here, a great cause ahead of us. And the trans-Atlantic alliance, you know, sometimes it's a little bit like whatever it was that Mark Twain said about Wagner's music. I think he said it's better than it sounds. Well, in fact, our trans-Atlantic alliances are really better than people give us credit for. We're cooperating in a lot of places. We're working hard together in a lot of places. We've had a lot of successes. But we can do more in this period of tremendous opportunity to unify the great democracies, the great alliances for a push to spread freedom and liberty. I think it's an agenda that is inspiring. And I think we've done a lot already, but there is much more that we can do.

VOINOVICH: Thank you.

5) Best attempt to ask a question involving global warming without actually saying, you know, global warming:

MURKOWSKI: And there's a lot of focus right now on what's going on up north because of the climate change. We're wondering whether or not this is a permanent event or whether it's just part of a natural cycle. But we do know that it's a reality. We do know that it will have an impact on our lands, particularly up north. And what we're seeing is there's a potential for increased circumpolar maritime commercial activity, which is going to impact our northernmost boundaries, as well as substantial new scientific exploration in the Arctic region.

6) Statements in Rice opening remarks most likely to increase world cynicism:

It is neither an accident nor a coincidence that the greatest threats of the last century emerged from totalitarian movements. Fascism and communism differed in many ways but they shared an implacable hatred of freedom, a fanatical assurance that their way was the only way, and a supreme confidence that history was on their side.

Every nation that benefits from living on the right side of freedom has an obligation to share freedom's blessings.

We are joining with developing nations to fight corruption, instill the rule of law and create a culture of transparency.

We will insist that leaders who are elected democratically have an obligation to govern democratically.

We -- and I know you, Mr. Chairman; and I want to thank you for your role in this -- were heartened by the refusal of the people of Ukraine to accept a flawed election and heartened by their insistence that their democratic demands would be met.

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to get over it, and bothering to post excerpts when Condi's been confirmed is, as our dear friend John McCain might say, evidence that I'm a sore loser. What can I say? I'm not just a freedom-hater. I'm a sore-losing, baby-killing, gay-sex-loving, Christian-hating, commie-pinko-feminazi liberal supporting-the-terrorists freedom-hater.

Who says women can't have it all these days?