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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Endorses Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today to be the next secretary of state, but only after some spirited exchanges signaled that Iraq will be a divisive issue in President Bush's second term.

The 16-to-2 vote by the panel cleared the way for Ms. Rice to be confirmed by the full Senate, in all probability in time for the inaugural celebrations on Friday that will mark the start of Mr. Bush's second four years in the White House.

- New York Times

The vote was not without significant controversy as Barbara Boxer (D-CA) made a spectacle out of the hearing before voting against Rice's confirmation. La Shawn Barber noted, "Democrats think they’ve got a sacrificial lamb in Rice. It’ll be reminiscent of the Clarence Thomas coverage back in 1991."

John Kerry also voted against Rice. Interestingly, Steven Taylor suggests that Kerry's comments and vote indicate he may be preparing for a 2008 presidential bid.

Updates:

Democrats to Delay Rice Confirmation Vote - however, they will not seek to prevent Rice's confirmation.

Worn-out campaign rhetoric from John Kerry: Kerry called Rice "one of the principal architects, implementers and defenders of a series of administration policies and choices that, in my judgment, have not made our country as secure as we ought to be in the aftermath of 9/11."

Captain Ed has had a lot to say regarding the confirmation hearing. This remark captures what is fundamentally wrong:

There was a time when confirmation hearings were about the candidate's credentials for the job and the work they had previously done, not a sideshow for empty posturing by demanding answers about troop levels from someone not serving in a military position.

He is all over Boxer in the post, Opening Her Mouth and Removing All Doubt. The confirmation hearing turned into a expose' of all Republican policies centering on decisions attributable to the Secratary of Defense. Captain Ed remarks, "Perhaps Boxer doesn't understand that Rice wasn't the Secretary of Defense, although she can be excused on this point, as none of the Democratic senators were briefed on this point."

Posted by tim at January 19, 2005 12:37 PM

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