Never Accountable

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is extremely consistent. Haughty and extremely irritated by valid criticism, her preference is to rule by decree, unquestioned by American citizens and unconcerned by pedestrian issues like truth, honor, integrity, and the erosion of our standing in the world community. Not willing to admit that she and the other Bushies have caused such huge damage to our reputation that it will take decades to repair, she also is unable to stop reinforcing her reputation for evasiveness and an inability to tell the truth.

A poll conducted for the State Department days before January's Palestinian elections warned policymakers that the militant Islamic group Hamas was in a position to win. Nevertheless, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after the election that her department had no advance indication of a major Hamas triumph.

Steven Aftergood, the director of the Project on Government Secrecy, said that while the poll didn't predict Hamas' big win, it clearly showed a trend toward victory for the Islamic militants. ''Either Secretary Rice was being disingenuous or else her department has a serious information-sharing problem, because INR could not have done a much better job of assessing the Palestinian election than they did,'' said Aftergood. ``To profess surprise of the outcome is incomprehensible.''

''This is secrecy squared,'' he continued. ``It's one thing to keep secrets from the public. But when the bureaucracy is keeping secrets from itself, policy is compromised.''

Seeming to revel in the pomp, ceremony, and allure that comes with power – it appears that she views her world to be disconnected from reality, one of fairy tales, pretty clothes, and assorted galas in exotic lands. Wouldn't it be nice to see some more acceptance of the world we inhabit – with the very nasty consequences that lies and incompetence on the world stage create?
Posted on The Human Stain