Rice Denies Seeing Iranian Proposal in '03

[Flabbergasted]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was pressed yesterday on whether the Bush administration missed an opportunity to improve relations with Iran in 2003, when Tehran issued a proposal calling for a broad dialogue with the United States, on matters including cooperation on nuclear safeguards, action against terrorists and possible recognition of Israel.

Although former administration officials have said the proposal was discussed and ultimately rejected by top U.S. officials, Rice, who was then national security adviser, said she never saw it.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tells a House committee that she never saw "this so-called proposal from Iran" seeking talks with the United States on nuclear safeguards, counterterrorism and possible recognition of Israel. (By Susan Walsh -- Associated Press)

"I have read about this so-called proposal from Iran," Rice told the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday, referring to reports in The Washington Post and other publications last year. "We had people who said, 'The Iranians want to talk to you,' lots of people who said, 'The Iranians want to talk to you.' But I think I would have noticed if the Iranians had said, 'We're ready to recognize Israel.' . . . I just don't remember ever seeing any such thing."

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) cited a former Rice staff member, Flynt Leverett, who has publicly discussed seeing the proposal when he worked at the White House.

"Why should we accept the administration's analysis today that it is correct to yet again not engage with Iran when administration officials at the time now have concluded -- at least this one and one or two others -- that the administration was wrong?" Wexler asked Rice at the hearing.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020702408.html

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. Please tell me this was under oath - nt

[neoblues]

6. Wouldn't matter...

unless there's more than "I just don't remember ever seeing any such thing.". Can't prove she's not so incompetent as to have failed to notice or has selective amnesia. Slithering, sleazy, slimy and slick--and she's slippery when it comes to what she says sometimes too.

[Dr.Phool]

2. Was that the first lie she told that day?

If it was, it must have been early in the morning.

[bdrube]

3. Because of Rice, I'm embarassed to tell people I work for the State Department. n/t

[MadMaddie]

8. First welcome to DU.....and secondly thank you for the work that

you do. It must be hard to work in an environment that is ripe with pitiful leadership.

America thanks you for Civil Service for the country. Hopefully, professionals like yourself will still be around to pick up the pieces of all of the governmental organizations once we rid DC of the cabal.

:hi:

[FrenchieCat]

4. "Biotch is Lying".....

General Clark's 2003 challenge in one of the primary debates to the candidates who had jobs in Congress:"
"This administration's preemptive doctrine is causing North Korea and Iran to accelerate their nuclear weapons development... let's see some leadership in the United States Congress. Let's see you take apart that doctrine of preemption now. I don't think we can wait until November of 2004 to change the administration on this threat. We're marching into another military campaign in the Middle East. We need to stop it."
http://www.awesclarkdemocrat.com/2007/01/for_wesley_clark_iran_is_on_th.htm

It's three years later and Clark's early warning is the here and now.

Rice knows this has been in the works. She's lying.

[NastyRiffraff]

5. Typical

She also never read the NEI report on Iraq. Maybe she's emulating her husb...er...boss and just doesn't read.

[lyonn]

7. This Admin. does not negotiate, period

Remember Saddam tried to play let's make a deal?

It look like if a country wants to sit down and discuss their differences with the U.S. or to make a deal they must go through one of our major newspapers or TV, even that is shaky considering our media. It works a lot like our intelligence agencies, the admin. chooses to ignore and belittle them and their efforts. Bombs away folks

[Erika]

9. Rice is a necon globalist

and like W could care less about America.

[bleever]

10. Another strident, defensive denial from Rice.

We all know what that means by now.

[GETPLANING]

11. Rice has no credibility.

[Imagevision]

12. Rice denies anything that makes her look bad, especially 9-11...

she was a failed NSA director, then Bush annoints her to secretary of state because Bush discovered he couldn't rely on Colin Powell anymore.

[Eurobabe]

13. She forgot to put her DKNY glasses on, she thought the N was a Q

[Imagevision]

14. Got to hand it to Condi, Chevron named an oil tanker after her...

she was on their board of directors a while back before Bush found out she was in the oil game...