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Lloyd Grove

Susan Rice’s personality problem

Rice’s personality—or “temperament,” in the parlance of her Beltway critics—is increasingly front and center. She is frequently described in the press with such adjectives as “brusque,” “aggressive,” and “undiplomatic in the extreme.”

It is highly unusual for someone who hasn’t even been nominated to be targeted in such wounding terms by enemies and detractors. But personality quirks can loom large in the process, says the Senate’s official historian, Donald Ritchie. Presidential nominations have foundered on smaller factors than Rice’s alleged foibles…

“This town is kind of crazy,” says a White House aide. “There is something going on in which these stories are feeding one another and sensing blood in the water and piling on, one after the other.”…

“It has been vicious,” says a Rice loyalist who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There is a strain of sexism in the attacks. She is being described as ‘screeching,’ not simply ‘blunt.’ They never talked that way about Richard Holbrooke.”

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Even worse, Susan Rice has an IQ problem, but that is epidemic for dems, especially in the America-hating administration of the Dog-Eating Retard from Jakarta.

It is really amazing to see all of these totally unqualified, stupid people being proposed for all of these jobs that put them in charge of so power and so many assets. Unreal.

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 12, 2012 at 9:08 PM

Not likely to reprezent whitey.

In 1986 Rice wrote an 86-page book titled A History Deferred, which claimed that because most U.S. students were “taught American history, literature, art, drama, and music largely from a white, western European perspective,” “their grasp of the truth, of reality, is tainted by a myopia of sorts.” “The greatest evil in omitting or misrepresenting Black history, literature, and culture in elementary or secondary education is the unmistakable message it sends to the black child,” Rice elaborated. “The message is ‘your history, your culture, your language and your literature are insignificant. And so are you.’” Published by the Black Student Fund — an advocacy group where Rice interned — A History Deferred served as a guide for elementary- and secondary-school teachers who wanted to teach “Black Studies.”

In 1996 Rice helped persuade President Clinton to rebuff Sudan’s offer to turn Osama bin Laden, who was then living there, over to U.S. authorities. Rice reasoned that because Sudan had a poor human-rights record, the U.S. should have no dealings with that nation’s government — not even to obtain custody of the al Qaeda leader or to receive intelligence information on terrorists from Sudanese authorities. Bin Laden subsequently moved his terrorist operations to Afghanistan, from where he would mastermind the 9/11 attacks.

In 2005 Rice co-authored an academic article which postulated that terrorism was “a threat borne of both oppression and deprivation.”

Read it all at discover the networks. She is a dangerous fool with a dark heart.

tom daschle concerned on December 12, 2012 at 9:09 PM

Rice’s personality—or “temperament,” in the parlance of her Beltway critics

I see ‘racist’ and ‘misogynist’ here

Great job Lloyd. All bases covered.

BigWyo on December 12, 2012 at 9:09 PM

Susan Rice’s personality problem

Yeah right…She has none.

rich801 on December 12, 2012 at 9:19 PM

She is being described as ‘screeching,’ not simply ‘blunt.’ They never talked that way about Richard Holbrooke.”

Richard Holbrooke was an shallow elitist patsy.

He was “screeching” in his own ignorant elitist male way.

As much as I may disagree with Susan Rice, I have to favor her over the likes of John Kerry and Richard Holbrooke.

But then again, that’s not sayin’ much, is it?

petefrt on December 12, 2012 at 9:28 PM

Ooh, one to add to the list:

Jumbo shrimp
Bittersweet
Benevolent dictatorship
Susan Rice’s personality

Left Coast Right Mind on December 12, 2012 at 9:29 PM

Yeah, the stupid lying b*tch has a “personality problem” alright.

Pork-Chop on December 12, 2012 at 9:31 PM

Does she have one?

CW on December 12, 2012 at 9:34 PM

Richard Holbrooke was a shallow elitist patsy.

He was “screeching” in his own ignorant elitist male way.

petefrt on December 12, 2012 at 9:28 PM

Holbrooke is whiny. And stupid.

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 12, 2012 at 9:37 PM

John Bolton’s personality was much discussed and he was neither black nor female.

myrenovations on December 12, 2012 at 9:41 PM

Even worse, Susan Rice has an IQ problem

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 12, 2012 at 9:08 PM

Rice is vulnerable to criticism on many of her policy judgements. Look ‘em up. Rice, IMV, is misguided, but her IQ is way up there. Google her background.

And as you know, PrimordialOrderedPair, so was Jimmah Carter’s. And we all know what happened with him.

petefrt on December 12, 2012 at 9:41 PM

In Maureen Dowds own words: Rice is like a bull in a china-shop.

tommy71 on December 12, 2012 at 9:45 PM

petefrt on December 12, 2012 at 9:41 PM

Meh. I don’t see anything impressive in her background. B.S. in history and grad degrees in “international relations” – which is a total joke. She might be smart but I’ve never seen any evidence of it and her background doesn’t indicate anything special. Meanwhile, I’ve seen her do nothing but take stupid positions so that’s all I can base my assessment on. She’s not a good debater or anything but she is facile with transparent lies. Eh. I wouldn’t let her teach high school – not any high school in which I wanted the kids to actually learn anything. If she’s intelligent she certainly hides it well.

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 12, 2012 at 9:47 PM

She has less academic qualifications than an average Kindergarten teacher, but we’re racist for calling that out. Gotcha.

baldylox on December 12, 2012 at 10:54 PM

She lacks perspective. She embodies the stereotypes that exist within her demographic. She should be smarter than this.

FireBlogger on December 12, 2012 at 11:09 PM

She’s as dumb as a cow, with apologies to cows of all colors.

Schadenfreude on December 12, 2012 at 11:32 PM

“It has been vicious,” says a Rice loyalist who spoke on condition of anonymity. “There is a strain of sexism in the attacks. She is being described as ‘screeching,’ not simply ‘blunt.’

Viscious is as viscious does.

Amb. S. Rice IS a viscious, crudely crass person in her social presence, the personality she presents to others (or, rather, to selective others).

I can’t see ANYthing “sexist” about identifying what’s observed about her as what it is. Everyone has a gender, but being a female doesn’t prevent anyone with female gender from being a creep.

She’s not a nice person. I don’t expect most adults to be mushy and doormats and self-evacing and inhabit a weak social personna, but in this person’s case, she is unnecessarily crass, domineering and extremely cold in a mean way with others. It’s just an unnecessary toughness, especially given her abundant social and material (and financial and academic) advantages in life — she seems to be racked with some sort of anti-social personality disorder.

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 11:41 PM

She’s the product of an exceptionally privileged, bubble-existence of social and economic privilege. Instead of indicating some sort of maturity and value for that, she behaves as if she loathes others if not herself.

Some people are pampered exceptionally as she was and is and they come out being sensitive to the human condition and eager to solve harmful aspects to our human condition in any way they can but in S. Rice’s case, she seems to have been made into a vengeful, hateful person from all her exceptional privilege.

I think she’s got an anti-social personality problem. Something about her is just ‘off’.

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 11:45 PM

Even worse, Susan Rice has an IQ problem

ThePrimordialOrderedPair on December 12, 2012 at 9:08 PM

Rice is vulnerable to criticism on many of her policy judgements. Look ‘em up. Rice, IMV, is misguided, but her IQ is way up there. Google her background.

And as you know, PrimordialOrderedPair, so was Jimmah Carter’s. And we all know what happened with him.

petefrt on December 12, 2012 at 9:41 PM

IQ is no guarantee that a personality will be well balanced or even functional in any social sense. IN fact, many people with higher IQs have to contend with isolation that the rest of humanity doesn’t — and rejection that others don’t experience.

I’m certainly not defending this “Amb. S. Rice” as to IQ but I’m just saying, higher than average IQ doesn’t guarantee a well balanced or pleasant personality and oftentimes lends support for the contrary. It can be difficult throughout life to have insights intellectually that others don’t and which others condemn despite the insights being accurate.

Not saying S. RIce’s insights are accurate or that she’s led some lifetime of being right as to views but just saying that a higher or high IQ doesn’t guarantee or ensure a sound personality.

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 11:50 PM

She is a dangerous fool with a dark heart.

tom daschle concerned on December 12, 2012 at 9:09 PM

That sums the issue up as well as anyone can.

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 11:53 PM

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 11:50 PM

I have to agree with much of what you say. Yes, she’s the product of an exceptionally privileged, bubble-existence of social and economic privilege. To me, she’s an enigma.

petefrt on December 13, 2012 at 6:42 AM