Karen Hughes edition:
Karen Hughes, who led efforts to improve the U.S. image abroad and was one of President Bush’s last remaining advisers from the close circle of Texas aides, will leave the government at the end of the year.
Hughes told The Associated Press that she plans to quit her job as undersecretary of state and return to Texas, although improving the world’s view of the United States is a “long-term challenge” that will outlast her.
“This will take a number of years,” Hughes said in an interview Tuesday.
Announcing Hughes’ decision to leave the department in mid-December, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had accepted the resignation “with a great deal of sadness but also a great deal of happiness for what she has achieved” and with the understanding that she would continue to work on several projects.
Can anyone tell me exactly what she has achieved? And that is only partially sarcastic. What exactly did she do? Isn’t our image abroad WORSE than when she started (not that it can be blamed on her, as it might have been far worse without her)?
gypsy howell
No. No one can tell you what she has achieved.
SATSQ.
r€nato
seems to me the US was pretty well thought-of before her ex-boss occupied the White House.
dingo
She has accomplished as much positive as anyone in the administration – none. To her credit, she has done less damage than most of W’s staff.
Paul L.
Which is why the Germans and French elected pro-US leaders.
r€nato
Paul, I hardly think that pro-US or anti-US was the chief issue with those voters.
Zifnab
The same can be said of Miss Rice, or her predecessor, Mr. Powell. What the hell were these people doing with the State Department all this time? Other than unlawfully handing out immunities to Blackwater Employees, not talking to Middle East diplomats, and playing the piano at fancy international galas.
The Bush Administration has made the State Department as defunct as its made the Justice Department. Why do Republicans even run for President, anyway? They should just run for Secretary of Defense and Secretary of
Paranoia and IncompetenceHomeland Security and be done with it.Bubblegum Tate
This must be the new defensive Gooper talking point. I’ve been seeing it a lot more of late.
norbizness
Her initial plan to run amok in unfriendly countries’ cities and destroy their infrastructure with radioactive breath apparently never got off the ground.
A different Matt
Who’s left to run the ministry of truth now?
canuckistani
Newsflash – there are people in other countries who are not only Not Americans, but make decisions based on their own needs and interests and not just their attitude towards Americans.
Bombadil
When did anything the French did become good in Greater Wingnuttia? Aren’t we still having Freedom Toast for breackfast?
Bombadil
Or “breakfast” for the prandial sticklers.
capelza
Paul L, didn’t you hear? The Merkel honeymoon is over.
As for Sarkozy…he is the anti-Chirac. France is still not interested in a war with Iran, and if Sarkozy tries that, then he’ll be as unpopular as Bush here. France had Chirac fatigue..the scandals, the riots, etc. They certainly did not elect him because he was like Bush…
I talk to you know, actual French people, in France even! Paul.
magisterludi
Last I checked, Poland and Japan have slapped Bush’s wrists in elections these past few weeks.
r€nato
And if you go back a bit, Italy.
And if you go back another year or two, Spain.
Dreggas
FINALLY SOMEONE DIDN’T FORGET POLAND!
Skyler
She was a goddamn joke in the Arab World. All she did was annoy people and every now and then she’d say something mind-numbingly stupid and it’d get played non-stop in the Arab press.
Jake
Mission Accomplished!
I’m sure they’re working on a Medal of Freedom as I type.
jcricket
Yes, intellectual consistency and deep thought are not their strong suits. The fact that Sarkozky is a) getting divorced; b) barely going to touch the french welfare state – would completely escape these people. Except for the racist far-right-wingers in France, the “conservative” party practice politics roughly to the left of Hillary Clinton and other “centrist” Dems. I would welcome the election of someone like Sarkozky in our country if he were planning to implement what he’s trying to in France.
And in Britian the “pro US” leaders (let’s forget about Tony Blair being ousted, basically) are going to increase the funding for socialized medicine (NHS) in Britian and remove all their troops from Iraq.
In a sense they are “pro US” that they want us to return to sanity and be a fiscal and political partner on the important issues. But neither of these countries is going to play “jr. lieutenant” to the US anymore.
stevelaudig
The best placard I’ve seen in a long time was hand produced and waved by a protester as Hughes showed up at the U. of Hawaii, Manoa a year or so ago to have a “private meeting” with pre-screened Muslim women studying [if memory serves] at the East West Center [Google CIA and East West Center].
The sign read: “Welcome Karen. Selling Shit is such a hard job!”
Blue Jean
If his Daddy’s friends on the Supreme Court hadn’t decided to give the White House to Junior, Karen would be selling Tupperware.
binzinerator
If Karen Huges had any effect at all, it surely was to make the rest of the world more negative toward the US. How could anyone listen to her and not think 1) this woman has a foolishly simple understanding of the problems in the Arab world — and so must the United States, or 2) she was chosen for her role precisely because of her twit-ness, a fuck-you message that is exactly what the US intended to send.
In other words, it was same sort of fuck-you message that was sent by having John Bolton appointed to the ambassadorship to the UN. It was meant to be a fuck-you.
Mission accomplished, Karen!
sglover
Jack.
Shit.
Jake
Fixed.
If we weren’t busily FUBARing Iraq, shrieking about Islamofascism and making noises about other countries in the region people might believe it was just 1.
Jimmmmm
Karen Hughes = John Lithgow in The World According to Garp.
Or at least a less handsome verson of same…
jcricket
To be fair, Janet Reno is a much closer match for Lithgow in Garp. Seriously. Not saying anything about her effectiveness, just looks.
chazaroo
Give the pathetic bitch some credit willya? It only took her two years to get LAURATHELUMP to wear an Islamic scarf.
Jimmm
You mean Janet “Shot a Man in” Reno? Also no comment on her record as a lawyer, just a play on her name?