Gaza crisis forces Rice to cancel China trip

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Yahoo / AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has canceled a planned trip to China this week to deal with Israel's military offensive in Gaza, the State Department said Sunday.

"Due to events in the Middle East, Secretary Rice will not be able to travel to Beijing, China, as she had expected," State Department spokesman Fred Lash said in a statement.

He said Rice's deputy John Negroponte will travel instead to Beijing on Wednesday for what was scheduled to be her final trip as secretary of state, to mark 30 years of Sino-US diplomatic relations.

With Israel launching a ground attack on Hamas-held Gaza, the State Department says it is working toward a ceasefire but does not want a "status quo ante" in which the Palestinian group can fire rockets at Israel.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090104/wl_asia_afp/chinausmideastdiplomacyrice_090104192333

[dipsydoodle]

1. Hasn't she got enough

crockery yet ? :shrug:

[Pharaoh]

2. She decided she needed more shoes

So she can't be bothered by Gaza either.

And Bush decides to go to "the ranch" on vacation............How typical.

[peacetalksforall]

3. There were only 400 dead the other day when she said she would nt be returning

to the ME. So we're at 500 and she decided to cancel China. How nice of you, Mz Rice.

[NMDemDist2]

4. shouldn't she be at State cleaning out her desk? she's only got 16 days left n/t

[lumpy]

5. Condolezza is an ineffective gadfly . Save us from her traveling

expenses.

[lamp_shade]

6. Why the hell was she going to China? She should be home, busy packing.

[rcsl1998]

7. She Hasn't Accomplished Anything Positive In 4 Years...

...she's not going to start now!

[Joanne98]

8. I can't wait till she's gone. She's WORTHLESS!

[Turbineguy]

9. Worthless is good.

I wish all Bush admin members were merely worthless.

[Thor_MN]

11. I would submit that she is less than worthless

When something is actually costing you money and it returns you no value whatsoever, it has negative worth. I believe that Ms. Rice fits into that category.

[onehandle]

10. "A crisis near my client's oilfields? I'll be right there!" nt

[No Elephants]

12. What in hell was she going to do in China in the last couple of weeks of Bushco?