Well she had no problems, which was easily predictable. The article you posted Coaster pretty much said barring some major "gaffe" she would get a quick vote. I do see Krem's suggestion that there is support for her runnoing in primaries next election, but seriously, she's better off right where she is. Has more power than she would having a failed bid.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Senate-Rice.html?hp&ex
=1106197200&en=b7c06e3be84a1b18&ei=5094&partner=homepage wrote:
Rice Wins Backing of Panel for Confirmation by Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Joseph Biden, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, challenged Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice Wednesday to acknowledge Bush administration mistakes on Iraq and said he would vote for her confirmation, but only with ``some frustration and reservation.''
The Delaware Democrat, zeroing in on U.S. policy in Iraq as he had during Tuesday's initial hearing, accused the Bush administration of giving shifting reasons to justify the war to oust Saddam Hussein...
He told Rice that acknowledging mistakes -- such as the claim that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and was poised to use them -- should not be considered ``a sign of weakness.''
Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., meanwhile, urged Rice to consider reconciliation with Iran, which he said was about as repressive as China was when the Nixon administration approached Beijing for better relations.
But Rice said, ``It is really hard to find common ground with a government that thinks Israel should be extinguished,'' supports terror groups and is undercutting U.S. peace efforts in the Middle East.
More than 1,365 members of the U.S. military have died since U.S. troops led an invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
But Rice has declined to estimate when even some of the 150,000 U.S. troops may return home.
``I am really reluctant to try to put a timetable on that, because I think the goal is to get the mission accomplished,'' she had said Tuesday, ``and that means that the Iraqis have to be capable of some things before we lessen our own responsibility,'' she said.
The 18 members of the committee were eager to quiz Colin Powell's designated successor, although Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., the panel's chairman, planned a vote following the hearing...
Her positions on the war did not stem blistering criticism from Democratic senators.
Sen. John Kerry, who made Bush's management of postwar Iraq an issue in his losing presidential campaign, told Rice Tuesday that ``the current policy is growing the insurgency and not diminishing it.''
``This was never going to be easy,'' Rice said in response. ``There were going to be ups and downs.''
She said that after the Iraqis have voted on Jan. 30 for a transitional assembly, the Bush administration would conduct a review...
So I'm pleased she at least admitted we have responsibilities to fulfill and that it will take longer than expected. People need to stop being in denial about a quick pull-out. Once you do something like this, you're in for the long-haul, and at least Rice didn't give them sime flippant excuse or set an unthinkable date. It'll be interesting to see if she is received in the same fashion Powell was, who is leaving this administration with some diplomatic semblance of respect left both nationally and globally.
As to Spain's issues, ETA, I hope you realize, has been doing this stuff for decades. Why the sudden inclusion of that article now Coaster?
