Was Susan Rice Promotion A Payoff? (Do bears s—t in the woods?) my comment Ralph Barker Now, it appears, that the Susan Rice who misled the world about Benghazi will be promoted to National Security Advisor. This is the person who stormed the Sunday talk shows to insist that Benghazi was not a planned terrorist attack. She put forth the quickly exposed untruth that the attack was spontaneous, ignited by an anti Muslim video that went viral on YouTube. What made what she did seem worse is that there were twelve revisions to the talking points. This raised a lot more questions like who knew what when. According to ABC News the CIA and State Department supplied the talking points she used. Ms. Rice reportedly did not edit them. They claim she was given a bad rap. She appears to accept the blame. Maybe she took the flack in trade for something better? She is now getting something better. Was this appointment a payoff to her because she allowed herself to be skewered by detractors and be the brunt of the current investigation? Is scandal and failure now a prerequisite for promotion within the Obama administration? It seems so. The word “accountability” is not listed in the White House dictionary. Probably, the truth is, that Rice willingly took the risk and the subsequent bullets for the team. Loyalty pays off big in this administration. If an appointee survives the toss under the bus, where there is now limited space available, a promotion awaits them. It is Darwinism in action-survival of the fittest. When The President announced the Rice promotion, he joked that Susan Rice was good at baseball and basketball. Is this because she can steal a base and dribble, skills that will make her a great National Security Advisor? I realize that Ms. Rice has excellent experience and credentials for her new job. I don’t diminish this, but she isn’t one that should be put in this position at this point. Too many people don’t trust her. Many in Congress don’t. She needs to regain the confidence of the people. The President obviously does trust her, but a growing number don’t and they shouldn’t based on recent judgments and actions. The falling trust level is not restricted to her or the White House either. It is projected onto almost every level of government. This lack of trust stirs up fear and fear can lead to unplanned consequences. This is why this appointment is not wise. Here is how I have to evaluate Ms. Rice’s actions on Benghazi. There are several ways to look at this. She could have been used as a puppet or a pawn. She may have failed to do her own research and just parroted what she was told. Or, possibly she lied outright and did so with the straightest of faces. One other option is that she is incompetent. None of these are good choices. I have to discount the last option because I don’t believe she is incompetent any more than I think the President is stupid. He’s extremely smart. There is more to this story in my mind. The promotion of Ms. Rice is not just a bad decision. It is also a badly timed decision. The timing is suspicious. It smacks of a Presidential backhanded slap to those who oppose him. We have seen many manifestations of the President’s arrogance over the years. This promotion is just another example. It is an “in your face” act by the President. It is, as well, another way of saying. “I’m always right and no one tells me what to do.” Have you ever witnessed the President admit he was wrong, about anything, ever? We saw a classic example of this arrogance when the President was addressing his own Jobs and Competitive Council about American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, aka The Stimulus Package. The meeting took place in June of 2011 During this meeting questions were raised about the “shovel ready jobs” that were promised. The promise of shovel ready jobs was a major selling point of the Stimulus Package. In response to the question, the President laughed and said, “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.” That was the end of that. We now have a new appointment, Susan Rice as National Security Advisor. Whether this move is simply a payoff or a purposeful slap in the face to conservatives, I don’t know for sure. They both seem likely. More important though is that each new appointment raises more concerns about the President’s agenda and lowers trust across the board. Mr. Obama has enjoyed a charmed time in office. He has pushed many bad policies and signed repulsive legislation. And, he has appointed passionate radicals to every corner of his domain. He, like Bill Clinton, has successfully deflected harm and accusations and emerged smelling like the proverbial rose. However, his political deodorant is beginning to fail. Even some of his best supporters have fallen out of love.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:42:59 +0000
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