Misreading the News: Rice Negotiations? October 7, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Celebrities, Food, Fun, Humor, News, Travel, War and Peace.trackback
Two news stories were side-by-side this morning in my RSS inbox. The first looked at the looming nuclear crisis with Iran:
Consensus on Iran unlikely; Rice delayed
AP – A meeting of world powers Friday on whether to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program was disrupted when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s flight was delayed, giving leaders little time to reach a consensus and making it unlikely.
This is unfortunate, but if the Secretary of State flies on the same airlines I have, it’s not unexpected. The second story touched on our similar crisis with North Korea, but introduced a subtle twist if you read this story right after the previous one (and didn’t pay attention to capitalization):
Rice could doom U.S.-Korea trade deal: source
Reuters – A proposed free-trade deal between the United States and South Korea would probably be doomed if Washington succeeds in putting rice on the negotiating table, according to a source familiar with the subject.
When I read the headline, I was shocked. What could the Secretary of State possibly be doing to “doom [the] U.S.-Korea trade deal”? Then, I read further.
Is this what we’ve come to? Are we now bartering our Secretary of State? I haven’t always agreed with Condolezza Rice’s position on various issues, but “putting rice on the negotiating table” seems like an extreme measure. What are we getting in return? Free Hyundai Azera’s?
On the plus side, she reportedly is high in moral fiber.
A Fool and his Words are Soon Parted 
Great post! As a Canadian I get a real chuckle out of US politics. As for Ms. Rice, there’s just something about her that I find oddly fascinating. The poor woman is at the point where she needs a break I think (not just a delay) and perhaps a new hairdo.