Condoleezza Rice praises Barack Obama -- but oh so diplomatically

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is nothing if not diplomatic -- after all, that's a significant part of her job description.

She proved that yet again this morning, during an interview with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's "Late Edition," when she was asked about the historic nature of Barack Obama's position as the presumptive Democratic nominee for the White House.

BLITZER: One final question. Your immediate predecessor, Colin Powell. I interviewed him many times. But he said this to Tavis Smiley, back in January. About this race and about the phenomenon of Sen. Barack Obama, he said this:

"Let's enjoy this moment where a person like Barack Obama can knock down all of those old barriers that people thought existed, with respect to the opportunities that are available for African Americans.  And my congratulations to him."

Now, you grew up in the segregated South. You know what racism is in our country. The fact that Barack Obama is now the Democratic presidential nominee, what does that say to you?

RICE:  I think it's great. And I think it's great for our country. 

And I do think it says that we've come a long way. But it's interesting that it's from Colin Powell. He knocked down a few barriers of his own. He knocked down the barrier of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He knocked down the barrier to the first black secretary of State. Yes, I've knocked down a few too. It just shows that our country has been doing this for a while and it's great that this last barrier, perhaps, has also come down.

BLITZER:  Have you decided who to vote for?

RICE:  Wolf, yes. 

BLITZER:  Do you want to tell us?

RICE:  No.

She was less diplomatic -- in fact, her straight talk could rival GOP nominee-in-waiting John McCain's -- when asked about speculation ...

... that McCain might name her as his running mate:

BLITZER: You've made it clear you don't want to be vice president of the United States.  How clear have you made it? In other words, have you told the Republican nominee in effect, you know what, don't even consider me?

RICE:  Wolf, I tell everybody who will listen, you know, through you and everybody else.  Look, I've done my part. And I've got six months to sprint to the finish and then I have other things that I want to do. I want to go back to California, I want to write a serious book about American foreign policy. There are issues that have come to concern me greatly. Some that I was concerned about before I came here, like the state of education in the United States, which I think is at the root of our competitiveness. It's at the root of our confidence and therefore it's at the root of our international leadership. I'll go back and work on issues like that. And it will be time for somebody else to take the stage.

BLITZER:  Does John McCain know that?

RICE:  Wolf, I've said it to everybody who will listen.

-- Leslie Hoffecker

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[john am]

The democrats have to come up with something better than Junior Seanator Barach Hussein Obama being indangered by the news that he was going to leave for his trip on a certain day.President Bush previous travel dates have been reported to the public, with no alarm by the democrats. Now their pride and joy is going on a fact finding expedition to Iraq and possibly Afganistan.So what, I am sure he will be well protected by our marines over there as well as the three news people accompaning him on his fact finding expedition.This courtesy has never been offered to John Mc Cain on his numerours trips over there.

It will be interesting to see how Barach reacts to being in a hostile environment, other than his own parties anti-war organization.

[Tom J]

Both Condi and Michelle Obama are wearing those oversized fake pearls. Is that the look for summer this year?

[frieda]

Well I guess if she is a true diplomat, Obama is not at all

today he said he wants to be president for 10 years...that's how arrogant this guy is.

check it out here:

www.obamasgaffes.blogspot.com

[dave]

frieda, mabye this is one of the minor details he'd previously discussed with his 'puppet masters', whether to extend the presidential term to 5 or even 10 years for 'practical reasons'. maybe of the same category as the '57 states' 'gaffe', and a number of others. in their arrogance they don't care, they think most people are so fast asleep or hypnotized, that they either won't see what's going on, or pretend they don't. or that, even if some wake up and do, there isn't anything they could do to stop them. it would seem so since many people seem to accept and support this - if they can impose on the people obama and mccain as candidates for the presidential office, and most people refrain from standing up for better choices - that are in their own vital interests, their liberty and independence. duck and cover?

[Jake]

If she were voting for McCain, wouldn't she just say so?

[AspenFreePress]

As an Aspen journalist, I covered Walter Isaacson's interview with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Aspen Institute yesterday. When Isaacson steered Rice toward commenting on the upcoming presidential election, Rice said she wasn't interested in being John McCain's running mate or in any other political office after secretary of state. "There's something to be said for fresh blood," Rice said. "I'm quite serious about new blood." After the interview, several in the audience wondered aloud if Rice's remarks might be construed as a tacit endorsement of Barack Obama.
Sterling Greenwood
Aspen Free Press