Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve In Iraq
Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve In Iraq
Today, the AP reports that U.S. foreign service officers may face compulsory duty in Iraq because of a lack of volunteers:
[T]he State Department is warning diplomats they may be forced to serve in Iraq next year and will soon identify prime candidates for upcoming vacancies in Baghdad and outlying provinces.
A cable sent to all foreign service officers says the department is facing a looming crisis to fill about 300 jobs that will come open in 2009 in Iraq and that it may not get enough qualified volunteers. If it doesn’t, the department will begin selecting diplomats for compulsory duty.
Similarly, last fall, the State Department came under intense criticism for its plan to make approximately 48 diplomats to take forced assignments to Iraq. It eventually dropped the plan when the spots were filled with volunteers.
The State Department’s “looming crisis” stands in stark contrast to statements made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a House Armed Services Committee hearing today, during which she took umbrage at the suggestion that foreign service officers don’t want to serve in Iraq. She said that comments by diplomats who protested the forced assignments last fall were “offen[sive]” and “cast a very bad light on the foreign service.” Watch it:
Rice tried to downplay a town hall meeting last November, during which a diplomat called serving in Iraq a “potential death sentence.” Rice said the remark “was a comment, from a person, who said that he felt in danger in the Green Zone.” But what she left out was that many of the several hundred foreign service officers at the meeting applauded the remarks.
A January poll found that 48 percent of diplomats opposed the war in Iraq, citing “disagreement” with the Bush administration’s policies. Just 18 percent said Rice was “doing a good job protecting their profession.”
Transcript:
First of all, town halls are self-selecting, and I think you will find that was a comment, from a person, who said that he felt in danger in the Green Zone. The great majority of that town hall was not even about assignments to Iraq. The last couple of comments were about assignments to Iraq.
I will tell you, the blogs were lit up in the Department of State by people who were offended — and I mean foreign service officers who were serving not just in Iraq and in Afghanistan and Islamabad, but serving in the deep dark jungles of Guatemala as well, — who were absolutely — or the highlands of Guatemala — who were absolutely offended by those comments.
Foreign service officers are still serving in dangerous posts, they’re still serving in posts where they cannot be accompanied by family, and I had no trouble after saying I was prepared to direct assignments to Iraq, no trouble not just in getting the right people, but in getting them quickly for our assignments in Iraq.
To be fair, we had to change some policies in the way that we deal with people and where their families can stay and so forth, but I’m really proud of the response of foreign service offices. And if I may just give you one illustration of that. I have now, with Amb. Crocker, four people who gave up ambassadorships to go and serve in Iraq alongside him. And that is the true spirit of the foreign service.
I was deeply offended myself, and deeply sorry that these people who had self-selected into this town hall went out of their way, to my view, cast a very bad light on the foreign service.
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63 Responses to “Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve In Iraq”
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HAHAHAHAHA....WOULD YOU WANT TO WORK IN THE GIANT $740 MILLION BULLSEYE THAT IS THE BAGHDAD EMBASSY?
AFTER IRAN GETS IT'S NUKES.....THAT THING IS GOING TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE SMOKING HOLE THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER HAS EVER FUNDED
April 15th, 2008 at 7:02 pmI am offended by neocons that don't want to serve in Iraq.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:04 pmThese illegal criminal occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq should be ended immediately. They are just cover for the Bush regime to hand over millions and millions of our tax dollars to Blackwater Corporation, Halliburton Corporation and Mr. Cheney.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:05 pmWell, then... feel free ta git yer Cheney over there, Sistah...
April 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pmYOU go FIRST, c*unti...
THEN as we see YOUR EXAMPLE, maybe they will do the same.
Of course, if you DON'T, then THAT IS your EXAMPLE, and WHY would you expect OTHERS to do what YOU will NOT???
April 15th, 2008 at 7:10 pmI'm sure they are offended by you, too "Dr." Rice. You are, therefore, even.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pmThis last 7 years has been one long running farce.
farce
noun
a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.
Trouble is they are not acting on the stage with an audience applauding their acting. Instead people in the real world are dying and suffering needlessly.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:13 pmRice is offended? Something must be going right! Career diplomats are not willing to put their lives on the line serving in the world's largest and most dangerous embassy. What a shocker. What work do State Department workers do in Iraq anyway?! Don't you usually wait until the war is over before sending in the diplomats?
I'm sure Rice has volunteered to serve a tour over there, right?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:14 pmI cannot wait to see her hang.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pmRice: I’m ‘Offended’
Self righteous buffoon!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pmA cable sent to all foreign service officers says the department is facing a looming crisis to fill about 300 jobs that will come open in 2009 in Iraq and that it may not get enough qualified volunteers. If it doesn’t, the department will begin selecting diplomats for compulsory duty.
Absolutely unbelievable! You just can't make this stuff up!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:17 pmSo, Ms. Rice needs to move her office to Baghdad to set a good example. for the duration you know, and for the legacy.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pmVanthomas Says:
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April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
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April 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pmEver see the film My Cousin Vinny?
Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve In Iraq
Well Ms Rice , I'm sure there are plenty of Americans who are offended by administration members that are rewarded for their incompetence ; know any of them personally ?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:20 pmYou go, Condi. After work you can play piano for anyone who's left in Baghdad. Then head down to the ice rink and do some figure 8s.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:20 pmHope Condi's planning on donning those camis when she skirts out of office in January 09 then!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:23 pmRice, in the Hague: "I'm offended by this court's stubborn insistance on mis-characterizing a few unsuccessful initiatives as 'war crimes'."
April 15th, 2008 at 7:27 pmI'm offended by chickehawks making decisions about our troops.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:28 pmLead, Condi...perhaps if you drag your sorry a$$ over there, some of your lemmings might follow.
The rest will quit.
You're such a dandy fine SoS. Heckovajob. Heckovajob.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:30 pmUnfortunately, this means 52% of our diplomats are wingnuts. Small wonder our nation is in such ill-repute when we have people like this representing us.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pmAt what point do they hire Blackwater and KBR as diplomats?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pmI'm offended that Condi Rice is our Secretary of State, and I'm offended that she has the nerve to be offended by anyone else.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pmLook,
April 15th, 2008 at 7:43 pmRiceShoe Lady. Lead by example. Move your office to the green zone and show them how safe it is. Take Dumbya and Darth with you.What's that offal smell?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pmIs Condi trying on another pair?
Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve My Cousin, Sweet and Sour Rice, In Iraq»
April 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pmI hope I will be able to recommend myself once that feature is returned. Any update, TP?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:47 pm"A January poll found that 48 percent of diplomats opposed the war in Iraq, citing “disagreement” with the Bush administration’s policies."
So that leaves 52% to put their collective asses where their mouths are...(eww, gross visual.)
April 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pmCould somebody tell Connie Rice their bombing the Green Zone which is the safest part of Iraq. Also many Diplomats and workers refuse to go to Iraq because there is no safe place there.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pmDr. Rice could set an example. I invite her to "put her money where her mouth is."
April 15th, 2008 at 7:56 pmTP! Where is the Recommend/abuse feature?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pmenough Says:
Dr. Rice could set an example. I invite her to “put her money where her mouth is.”
There is not enough money to fill that pie hole we hear noises from.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pmYeah! I'm with Merlin.. it's been two days now, WTF TP?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:00 pmHow to create "volunteers"
[T]he State Department is warning diplomats they may be forced to serve in Iraq next year and will soon identify prime candidates for upcoming vacancies in Baghdad and outlying provinces.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:03 pmMaybe she could get McCain to go. He is looking for that elusive pony now, anyway.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:03 pmMaybe its hiding with those WMDs.
Rice: I’m ‘Offended’ By Diplomats Who Don’t Want To Serve My Cousin, Sweet and Sour Rice, In Iraq»
Nor her half-cousin, French Undersecretary of Personal Finance, the rogueish Rice Pilaf.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:05 pmThis stupid hack is ALL hat and no pants, to borrow a phrase..
IF the new Baghdad embassy had 100's of shoe stores she would be there at least once a quarter with her govt. credit card...
This rag offends me just being around!
April 15th, 2008 at 8:06 pmCondi baby, they're the smart ones. Go to the green zone and get mortared and sit through rocket attacks...for what! There is no diplomacy in this administration you know that. Your smart and savy employees know there is no good reason to go to Iraq and they are not going to buy into your bullshit. You go to Iraq and spend six months or a year there instead of flying about thinking you've got a real job.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:07 pmTwo words for Condiiiiiiiiii
Incoming! Incoming!
April 15th, 2008 at 8:11 pmSo they're finally going to have to draft volunteers? I need three volunteers. You, you and you.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:12 pmAnd I'm betting they are all offended by Condi Rice wanting to throw them into harms way to continue to occupy Iraq. How about Condi go there and take one of the positions she's having a hard time filling. She's going to be needing a new job soon.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:25 pmSnowball Says:
Unfortunately, this means 52% of our diplomats are wingnuts. Small wonder our nation is in such ill-repute when we have people like this representing us.
Actually I think it's more like 52% don't have the courage to admit that they are against our continued occupation of Iraq. Remember, these people are foreign service officers and many of them were appointed by other administrations. I'm betting they are hoping to hold on until Obama takes office.
On the other hand if she tries to force 300 of them to go to Iraq, I suspect she will hear a massive "I quit" from most of them.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pmWay more catchier, barfly!
Recommend (1)
April 15th, 2008 at 8:36 pmHey, Bilbo, maybe they could retire and go hunting with Hillary.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pmI'm glad pumping a bullet in a duck was a "great experience" for her.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:40 pmYet, she admits no complicity for the attitudes of these diplomats? Could she be a faux intellectual? Or, is she just another simple ass, pimpled ass, Bush ditto head?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:42 pmI would think, Condor Rice would be more offended at Her performance as "security advisor", participating in "torture discussions",and a failed foreign policy.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:43 pmIn 2009, will Stanford University officially become the full-time hangout spot for Washington neocons?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:48 pmI am much more offended by Rice's lies to the Judiciary committee at her confirmation hearings. I am also offended that the committee is so dumb they believed them. She is high on my impeachment list.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:13 pmCondoleezza Rice could, of course, lead by example. Her cries about being "offended" would be a more believable.
But like her boss and her fellow Bush sycophants, she will put someone else's life on the line for her political gain rather than risk breaking a sweat under the hot Iraqi sun.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:59 pmCondoloser Rice is a failure who has disgraced every government position she has held and has repeatedly let her country down...she's also lower than pondscum when it comes to morals.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:03 pmI'm offended that Rice did nothing to try to prevent 9/11 and that she is closely tied to Zelikow who headed the 9/11 (c)ommission report. Conflicts of interest anyone?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:33 pmDr. Rice, unless she turned state's evidence over to the fed about the Bush coup, 9-11, and the Bush treason-including the role of the W.H.I.G. to which she belonged-is, in fact a traitor.
She has nothing to say at present. We the People will let her know if, when, and where her words have the slightest veracity.
http://www.light-to-dark.com/unanticipated.html
http://www.light-to-dark.com/fleet.html
It's about to get real rough out there for the Neo Cons who intentionally let 9-11 happen.
Outing an agent is treason.
http://www.light-to-dark.com/coffee_tea_or_treason.html
There is no controversy.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:19 pmThe comments here comparing Secretary Rice to a "baboon" (#16) and calling for her to be hung (#8) are sickeningly racist.
The fact that ThinkProgress is publising comments that compare an African-American to a primate and call for her to be lynched is grotesque.
Oh, and #48 (questioneverything), Condoleezza Rice's confirmation hearings were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, not the Judiciary Committee. Get your facts straight.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:22 pmEasy solution, Condi:
Base YOURSELF in Iraq.
Lead by EXAMPLE...
Oh, you WON'T??
Again, by EXAMPLE.
The diplomats should be offended that a PARTISAN HACK TRAITOR such as yourself (and your HUSBAND George) is the top "diplomat" in the USA.
Fkuc you, Condi.
From me. And the diplomats the YOU are "offended" by.
April 16th, 2008 at 12:39 am.
R E M E M B E R:
This is coming from the National Security Advisor that FAILED to advise the president of impending attacks upon America. Her credibility is so low, a worm has to hurdle it!
She shall be known as defendant, to me!
.
April 16th, 2008 at 2:05 amI'm offended to see a lier, a war crminal like Rice, still walking free!
April 16th, 2008 at 2:40 amI think most Iraqis are offended by that monstrous symbol of American imperialism built in the heart of their country
If or when all hell breaks loose in and around Bagdhad, Sunnis turning on Shiites again, the Mahdi army declaring open war on the Maliki-government etc the US fortress/embassy will be the prime target. Any wonder why Americans refuse to work under those conditions?
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Yeah some comments are sickening and needs be deleted. Where did the flag option go?
April 16th, 2008 at 2:47 amI'd love to see Condi go over to Iraq and have to wear full body armor and still pray that her A** didn't get shot off on a daily basis. Then tell us you don't understand why diplomats made offensive remarks.
If you would pull your head out of the sand for two minutes and smell the crap you are trying to sell to the American people, it is us who should be offended.
Save your righteous indignation for someone who cares. We as a nation have put up with you and this administration for long enough.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:06 amThe parrot of the Bush administration speaks once again.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 amCondoloser should pack up Joe LIEberman and John McLame for the post. That way McLame and LIEberman could do more rug shopping AND serve their country at the same time. God knows those two self-serving losers are nothing more than parasites on the political scene.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:15 amWell, there you go -- Gonzo is looking for a job -- maybe Condi should hire him to be the legal counsel for the American Embassy in Baghdad. That should keep him out of trouble for a while.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:31 amIs she offended by Iraqi soldiers who don't want to fight in Iraq?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/world/middleeast/16sadr.html?hp
April 16th, 2008 at 9:00 amI’d love to see Condi go over to Iraq and have to wear full body armor and still pray that her A** didn’t get shot off on a daily basis. Then tell us you don’t understand why diplomats made offensive remarks.
If you would pull your head out of the sand for two minutes and smell the crap you are trying to sell to the American people, it is us who should be offended.
Save your righteous indignation for someone who cares. We as a nation have put up with you and toshiba pa3191u grey battery,toshiba te2000 grey battery this administration for long enough.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:10 am