Obama: Rice Removes Self from Secretary of State Consideration After ‘Unfair and Misleading Attacks’
On the heels of an NBC exclusive, President Obama quickly released a statement confirming UN Ambassador Susan Rice was no longer in the running for secretary of State. This just out from the White House:
“Today, I spoke to Ambassador Susan Rice, and accepted her decision to remove her name from consideration for Secretary of State.
For two decades, Susan has proven to be an extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant. As my Ambassador to the United Nations, she plays an indispensable role in advancing America’s interests. Already, she has secured international support for sanctions against Iran and North Korea, worked to protect the people of Libya, helped achieve an independent South Sudan, stood up for Israel’s security and legitimacy, and served as an advocate for UN reform and the human rights of all people.
I am grateful that Susan will continue to serve as our Ambassador at the United Nations and a key member of my cabinet and national security team, carrying her work forward on all of these and other issues. I have every confidence that Susan has limitless capability to serve our country now and in the years to come, and know that I will continue to rely on her as an advisor and friend.
While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first. The American people can be proud to have a public servant of her caliber and character representing our country.”
Secretary of State John Kerry reporting for duty? The Foreign Relations Committee chairman is coveting the position Hillary Clinton is expected to leave soon.
A potential Rice nomination received heated pushback on the Hill after the presidential election, but furor has somewhat subsided in recent weeks as lawmakers have focused on the looming fiscal cliff.
By withdrawing her name, Rice spares Obama the embarrassment of acknowledging that lawmakers who threatened to keep the nomination from moving through — such as Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) — won the fight.
“I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision. President Obama has many talented people to choose from to serve as our next Secretary of State,” Graham said in a statement. “When it comes to Benghazi I am determined to find out what happened – before, during, and after the attack. Unfortunately, the White House and other agencies are stonewalling when it comes to providing the relevant information. I find this unacceptable.”
“The story of Benghazi is a story of national security failure and we must work to prevent it from ever happening again,” he added. “I will continue working diligently to get to the bottom of what happened in Benghazi.”
If Obama chooses Rice as his National Security Adviser in his second term, that post would not require Senate confirmation.
UPDATE: Kerry just weighed in with his own statement.
“I’ve known and worked closely with Susan Rice not just at the UN, but in my own campaign for President. I’ve defended her publicly and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again because I know her character and I know her commitment. She’s an extraordinarily capable and dedicated public servant,” Kerry said. “Today’s announcement doesn’t change any of that. We should all be grateful that she will continue to serve and contribute at the highest level.”
“As someone who has weathered my share of political attacks and understands on a personal level just how difficult politics can be, I’ve felt for her throughout these last difficult weeks, but I also know that she will continue to serve with great passion and distinction.”
Given his attitude towards our military sine the early 1970′s, John Kerry should be Sec of State either. Shouldn’t be in the Senate either, but that’s a decision the good people of Massachusetts have to live with.
worked to protect the people of Libya,
But not the Americans the people of Libya are trying to kill, right Mr. President?
I too, thought that odd. Isn’t she supposed to be in the UN defending OUR interests? And too, remind me of what she’s done on behalf of the Israelis.
– peace to count her multi-millions.
‘Unfair and misleading attacks’ from investigators?
I hope the next resignation announcement will read: ‘…after the unfair attack in Bengazi and our misleading the people before and after election day’.
BTW, did you notice that leaving the UN assembly when Bibi drew a red line is ‘standing up for Israel’s security’. I thought that was standing up to flee one’s responsibility, and to scornfully disapprove the policy of an ally in danger. In France, we have a saying that goes “soutenir quelqu’un comme la corde soutient le pendu”, which translates: “support someone as the rope supports the hanged man”.
“Already, she has …worked to protect the people of Libya…”
Well then make her the US ambassador to Libya and give her the same protection that Chris Stevens got.
LOL good one.THe wrong rice is not going to be Sec.State for one reason only,it does not poll well for the regime.Bet on it.
And she may have been the only one who thought she was a serious candidate. Susan Rice = Baghdad Bob.
I’ll add one to yours:
…Jon Huntsman.
Not that Rice withdrawing will make any difference. Dictator obama has a multitute of America hating communists at hand to fill this position. Rumor has it that Al Sharpton or Van Jones will be nominated.
Susan goes out there there as a good little parrot for her lord and master, spews persistent, insistent and unequivocal (not to mention false) drivel all over the airwaves, and now her being called on all that is “unfair and misleading”?
I know the democrat bench isn’t deep but Genghis Khan as SOS ?
Lord help us all.
Apart from her gender and colour of her skin why else do you think she got the job?
Probably the biggest reason is support from Madeleine Not-At-Albright, a ‘long-time family friend’. Rice is an untouchable three-bagger in affirm.action world, easily enough to allow her to walk away now. Personally, I’d rather see her hanging by her ankles from a lamp-post. Her legacy may be that she made the world safe for John Effin’ Kerry. We can all feel good about that, right?
Block all cabinet appointments. Block all Senate business. Pass a budget in the House that cuts spending immediately and precludes the debt ceiling raise. Repeal Obameecare. Rid the executive of czars. End Planned Parenthood and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Then walk away. If the Democrats don’t play ball, the economy collapses and the President gets the blame.
Really is that simple.
Our country without Rice is incrementally safer. But I’m sure something as bad or worse will be nominated, and we’ll just have to whack away at it. So much incompetence and disloyalty, so little time left for our poor country.
Hussein O is not soo dumb after all. He Knows if Rice gets in front of foreign relation committee not only his Benghazi charade will be exposed for what it is he be also exposed for what he is incompetent ideological fool.
As I read these particular tea leaves, Ms. Rice withdrew due the stuningly thunderous silence from the WH in defence of her nomination. Even the other Libs are starting to cop to the notion that this WH, while pretty good at winning (or stealing) elections kinda sucks at taking principaled stands in defence of their suppoters. Really, really good at the ‘Gimme’ side of politics. Really, really bad at the pay back.
I don’t like to say ‘I Told you so’ but…. ah hell, I LOVE telling Libs I Told You So! Y’all got what you asked for. Wear it in good health…heheheheh…..
They’re not too shabby at the payback against opponents, but they do seem to think payback for supporters means throwing them under the bus and not backing up to run over them a second time.
I’ll go a bit further in my guess – she didn’t back off because of his silence; she backed off because in private he told her to…for the same reasons you stated.
Actually, I think Rice would be a great secretary of state. You wouldn’t have to wonder if she were lying. Pathological liars are always lying.
And wouldn’t it be something to have Hillary run against Christi for President? Something boring.
The question of the day would be who’s the biggest leftist.
The most exciting asspect of the campaign would be placing bets ass to which of the candidates would top 400 pounds by election day.
In today’s political world, up is down, right is wrong and the scum keeps on rising to the top.
It’s about time we had some good news on the political front. Unfortunately that leaves John “taxes are for the small people” Kerry open for the position.
“I’ve known and worked closely with Susan Rice…”–Kerry
When? When you were trying to help the commies defeat the United States during the Vietnam War?
I didn’t think Rice was that old.
“When? When you were trying to help the commies defeat the United States during the Vietnam War?”
What makes you think that Kerry STOPPED trying to advance Moscow and Beijing’s aims for the domination of America? His seat in the Senate is not just the payoff for his services to them during the 1970′s, but is also a resource from which he can damage this nation even more.
In a sane country, John F. Kerry would have been stripped of his citizenship, flogged on the quarterdeck, and exiled.
Preferably in an open boat in the middle of the Northern Pacific…
Rice Removes Self… After Unfair And Misleading Attacks
Good for her. After the brutal and despicable campaign Obama ran against Romney I’m surprised anyone who isn’t desperate for money would serve in his administration.
“After Unfair And Misleading Attacks”?
If this is so effective, why is Obama still in the White House?
Pelosi in the House?
Reid in the Senate?
Warren in any office?
Debbie WASTEWATER MOUTH Schultz in her office?
If her “feelings” were this fragile, she would have never got to the level she’s at now. She must know that there is more incriminating information available that will definitely be exposed if she persists.
Ambassador Stevens and the other Heroes were unavailable for comment.
Susan “unfair and misleading” Rice was a fool to trust that Obie would deliver on the quid pro quo. Ha!
Obama and Rice – both pathological liars.
“As my (!) Ambassador to the United Nations, she plays an indispensable role in advancing America’s interests.” — Really?! “My”? And which interests has she SUCCEEDED in advancing? Or, should that read, “whose” interests?
“Already, she has secured international support for sanctions against Iran and North Korea, worked to protect the people of Libya,…” — Really? Due to her “successes”, NK only launched ONE big missile this week; it only took 3 years to obtain half-a$$ed sanctions against the Mullahs? One thing that COULD be true is that the people of Libya are better protected than ever…by “alQuaeda outreach”. No doubt her “genius” could be rivaled only by the Oval Office’s itself. Oh “My”, are we screwed!
“…helped achieve an independent South Sudan…” — where the slaughter goes on, and on, and on.
“…stood up for Israel’s security and legitimacy…” — Right! They had a fun time testing IronDome, but actually, it wasn’t needed. No, not really. Right! And, Israel’s “legitimacy” continues to be loudly “questioned” by exactly the same jerks who’ve been questioning it all along. Do “we” have a problem with cognitive dissonance? Right, I have. My bad! Right!
“…and served as an advocate for UN reform…” — Right! Any tinpot who shouts “Democracy” gets a seat, human rights be damned.
“…and the human rights of all people…” — Right! All people are entitled to exactly those rights their dictator or statist government grants them, no more, no less. Anyway, define “human”, define “rights”. Is the meaning of “is” always “is”? Does “sharia” always mean “sharia”? Who’d have guessed!
“I am grateful that Susan (It’s Susan, now, is it? Not Ambassador Rice?!) will continue to serve as our (! = Obozo finally remembers that using the “royal we” sounds better than the narzissistic “my”.) Ambassador at the United Nations and **a key member of my cabinet and national security team** (Really? Then she must have known that she was slinging a line of blarney when she went on those 5 Sunday shows? – She was lying when she covered for you, and you were lying when you covered for her? Really! Birds of a feather! ), carrying her work forward…” — Hard to imagine her work going backward much farther, now is it?!
“I have every confidence that Susan has limitless capability to serve our country…” — Oh dear! Every con man I ever met had “every confidence”, which is a given in that line of “work”, but nobody’s capability is ever “limitless”. Not his. Not hers. Really now! We done lying, now? /
And lest you forget, Rice was a very enthusiasic cheerleader for taking Gadaffi out and thus saving Libya for the Al Quaed clones. Thanks Baraq and Ms.Rice for that foreign policy fiasco.
Rice was Borked. She deserved it. Now to Bork Kerry or whoever obama nominates. How does that feel, Democrats? Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it.
Well this is surprising.
The only conceivable explanation is that dear leader decided to throw her under the bus because she had become a reason to keep the benghazi story alive. Why that would bother him at this juncture is anybody’s guess. I would have thought he would most thoroughly enjoy jamming him thumb in the country’s eye more than anything, but it looks like the limp-wristed Republicans’ attempt to make something of her shameless lies must have made some hollywood types squeal or something.
He’ll find some other way to humiliate and heap scorn on the country. Traitor Kerry will be a start, but it will take more than him to sate the charlatan’s revenge.
The socialists have no one qualified to be SOS. Hitlery was a disaster and anyone they out in that position will also be a disaster. The reason is simply that they, themselves are committed leftists and always think they’re right.
They understand very little about human behavior.
They understand even less about their own behavior.
They are kids, walking around in grown-up shoes.
They are elementary-school bullies, walking around in grown-up shoes.
If life is so bad for her she can slit her wristsor maybe pills are her cup of tea. Guns are bad so thet option is off the table.
her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first.
Would that Obama might do the same and resign. But, he has neither the ‘character’ nor any commitment to “our national interests” to do the same.
Remember the song, “Four dead in Ohio”? How hard would it be to change it to “Four dead in Benghazi”? Not at all. Let us commit to shoving the Left’s malfeasance, incompetence, and dereliction of duty up their tailpipes for a change.
The worm has turned, b*tches, and Americans are fighting back, even if their representatives won’t. These pigs don’t know who they’re messing with.
I think the real reason behind the pressure to keep Rice out of the State job, was so that Kerry could then take State instead of Defense. Keeping Kerry out of DOD was the real goal. He would be a disaster.
Can’t wait to see what Rice will say under oath when she’s forced to testify before Congress. That ought to be fun. Somebody is going to crack here and rat somebody else out. Rice could rat out Hillary, but that would be suicidal on her part. She we only do it if she thought she was facing real jail time for perjury. And then there is Petraeus. I’m sure he still has a story to tell about Benghazi and the aftermath regarding the video. Rice was dumped because the White House didn’t want to litigate Benghazi all over again in the Senate confirmation hearings. Too bad they’ll still be forced to do it after the State Department’s report comes out, which is soon.
Susan Rice was sent out by the USURPER as a docile ‘sacrificial lamb’ to disseminate what everyone in the Regime knew was a patently false narrative on five Sunday talk shows. The reasons for this was that the USURPER wanted to continue with his ‘Osama’s dead GM’s alive’ POLITICAL narrative for the election. What has happened since is that the USURPERS hand in this ‘Benghazigate’ cover up ,which is far more of a sin than Watergate which was purely political and in which no one died, is now the subject of desperate attempt to divert attention by the Regime.
Susan Rice’s “personal” decision to withdraw her candidacy for Secretary of State is simply another piece in the ‘Benghazigate’ cover up jigsaw. She is being taken out of the firing line in case the Regime’s ‘story’ and the USURPERS devious hand in it becomes exposed.
Politically, it made no sense to trot Rice out there for SOS, so they won’t. They took an odd and unnecessary misstep with her being as emphatic as she was (and still she was not absolute) on the five tv shows. If there was gun-running out of Benghazi by the CIA, and there were classified aspects to the reports, which we know there were, the story is already sufficiently blurred so that the “our poor, murdered innocent ambassador” line from the right is looking a little shaky too. I suspect that the whole situation was significantly more complicated than the lines that the left and right put out about it, which is why it will probably not end up as a major scandal. Maybe a John Dean and Deep Throat will emerge on this one, but if I were betting at even odds, I would say no. Now if you gave me 10 to 1, then…..
Simply afraid of discovery of what really happened.
John Dean? Come on.. I count the dead bodies from Nixon-gate at… ZERO.. and the number of armed terrorists as … ZERO.. the threat to national security from Watergate at … ZERO..
shall I go on? Nixon was a jerk for sure.. but this obummer makes Nixon look like Jesus Christ. Then there is Slick Willie Rat Clinton, if you thought he was a good liar, think again. A rank amateur compared to the manifestation of the concept of a lie, the humanoid form of obummer.
Check the timeline, but in 1973 North Vietnam was bombed into submission and signed a peace accord in Paris agreeing to leave the South alone. No more invasions. No more importing Russian weapons through China, Haiphong Harbor (never mined and blockaded like it should have been with ever incoming ship searched which may have been fruitless with an open border with China). Anyway, Nixon had his Peace with Honor in 1973 after he was re-elected in 1972 over McGovern on his Peace without victory platform which the country rejected. Dirty election tricks? Sure Tricky Dick was guilty. The Press and left were relentless. Dean and Deep Throat and Wash Post and others peeled the Onion. Russian Tanks rolled toward Saigon in 1975 in violation of the 1973 Paris peace accords. Nixon was out. The Dems could have allowed our Carrier force to help the South enforce the peace accords and save millions from death, drowning at sea, gulags, torture, killing fields and the Cambodian domino. Our 55,000 heroes did not die in vain because today China and Vietnam, and much of SE Asia, and India too are firmly on the road to Capitalism. Vietnam, at least is united unlike Korea. Watergate I will lay at Nixon’s feet but I will always regard it as inextricably linked with the conspiracy of the leftists to turn their 1973 defeat in Vietnam, engineered not by LBJ but by Nixon, into the Commie betrayal and victory of Russian tanks against a quiescent US air force (tanks can’t defeat an air force with a clear field of vision — see WWII and particularly, Battles of Bulge and Kursk). Somehow the Dems never admit to this, just saying our puny little Army somehow could not defeat the immense forces of North Vietnam even though they surrendered after suffering 2,000,000 deaths to our 55,000. Check the phrase Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and then review the story of “Watergate.” Unrelated? I don’t think so.
The objective of this administration is so obvious, and their despotic playbook – Rules For Radicals – is STILL the ‘go-to’ manual du jour. Objective? Assassinate every GOP idea and decision with the purpose of coercing the GOP to admit it was wrong and historically irrelevant to the real way that the U.B.A. must be “governed”. The hatred for anything and everything that those “dumb cracker” Founders penned, is being given a platform by the bureaucratic despots in DC. As despots around the world are being toppled one by one; ours continue unchallenged with their machinations of human greatness, and they heed not the warning signs from around the world. Such is their foolishness.
Look I hate to tell I told you so but Susan Rice was not ever going ot be secretary of state. She was lead by the nose by the administration. Kerry already had a deal in the bag. She was a patsy to spread the rhetoric about Benghazi. Just remember everyone loves an underdog and that is why the first debate looked as if Obama was off his game. This was all planned.
The former definition is,”"An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the commonwealth” [Henry Wotton]. The current update includes a man or a woman who lies, not only to people abroad, but to their own citizens, particularly right before a razor thin election. It works. Benghazi was a disaster, and Americans suffer and die in disasters. Ms. Rice may be innocent, we really do not know. But we know that what she said was false, and helped her boss win a hot struggle.
I have great empathy for our war dead and their loved ones, especially at Christmas time. She can look for a job like millions of others. If her career took a hit, she should look at her boss. Others do, as their careers are being destroyed.
Well, Rice was just an ignorant twerp who made more enemies by her ‘attitude’ than she could put to good use. It wasn’t just Benghazi but a lot things.
Obama overreached with here and the NLRB and will do it with Kerry. I remember something about providing enough rope.
Kerry’s colleagues from both parties will consent to one of their own.
I’m surprised no one caught onto this. I’ve seen it only once anywhere.
Rice was the first Clintonista to shank Hillary in the back and head over to team obama. I’m sure she’s paying a price for that.
Sure, she looked like the quintessential administration hack, singing that same lying tune about Benghazi. But she also has to, or would have had to, answer for her role in Rwanda (Calling genocide “genocide” would be bad for reelection), and her shameful role in a squabble between eritrea and ethiopia.
It’s her own leftie types that are emptying the skeletons of “personality disorder” (Grove), “ill-equipped to be the nation’s top diplomat” because of her “shoot-first tendency” and “pugilism” (Milbank),and “bull-in-the-china-shop reputation” (Dowd).” from her closet for display
I didn’t know much about Rice before Benghazi, but based on that alone to me she is either just another deliberately deceptive POS politician or simply allowed herself to be used by Obama (one of many). Either way she should just go away now! America could and should do better. I don’t like being manipulated or misled, and this administration has tried to do both to me and to all Americans.
I do know about J. Kerry and Obama and both of them have no honor and should be prosecuted for treason as well just being a couple of “Richard craniums”!