Secretary of State Condappeasa Rice

In an administration marked with so many disappointments large and small, perhaps none is greater for me personally than Condoleezza Rice's tenure at the State Department. To explain why, allow me to provide some background.

About ten years ago, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas and Rep. Jennifer Dunn of Washington (since deceased) started an annual conference in Washington, DC called the 'Republican Women Leaders Forum'. I was privileged to attend each of the years it was held. At one of these events, I met Dr. Condoleezza Rice. She was the Provost of Stanford University at the time; she would not become National Security Advisor until January 2001.

I suppose you'll have to trust me on this one, children, but I am not a person easily impressed. By this I mean I have no interest in your fame, fortune or family connections. I'm interested in the real you, down deep, where it really counts. Celebrity is cheap and easy. Character? Not so much. What does this have to do with anything, you ask? The moment I met Dr. Rice I was utterly blown away by her presence. This is one tour-de-force individual. Her intelligence was palpable. There was an aura of strength and confidence around her. She was warm and gracious and charming.

Throw in her curriculum vitae, and you cannot help but be mightily impressed. Until you look at her performance at State. Since assuming the office in January of 2005, she has morphed into Condappeasa Rice, traveling the globe appeasing our enemies - Hamas, Hezbollah, North Korea, et al - and chastising our friends, especially Israel. A woman this smart ought to know better.

I realize the State Department is tasked with our nation's diplomacy, but what type of 'diplomatic' discussions can we have with cold-blooded killers hell-bent on destroying Israel? Are we not listening to them? They do not speak in ambiguous terms. Their intent is quite clear in both words and actions. Yet, Condappeasa asserts that Israel must make nice. They release live and healthy killers in exchange for dead and mutilated soldiers, give up still more land for 'peace', dismantle whole cities and move the inhabitants thereof elsewhere, enter into yet another meaningless 'cease fire' agreement, and on and on and on, ad infinitum. Any failure to capitulate is met with a stern warning from the Department of Let's-Give-'Em-A State that Israel risks ruining the 'peace' process.

In researching this article, I learned that one of Condoleezza Rice's college professors and mentors was Josef Korbel, Madeleine Albright's father. She has referred to him as "one of the most central figures in my life". Could this perhaps explain a lot? Ms. Albright excelled at appeasement, too.

So, while reiterating the 'We support Israel and we always will' line, the State Department headed by Dr. Rice continues to prove the opposite by it's behavior. Actions speak louder than words. A woman this smart ought to know that. Condappeasa. I expected so much more.