# Condoleeza just did it... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 17, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157 "2004-11-17T00:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/1 "2004-11-17T00:26:25Z")
She’s the first black woman to be named Secretary of State. You go girl. So, did Bush do it to make himself look better? Or because she’s actually qualified? Or both? I doubt that affirmative Action is relevant at the cabinet level, and it’s not like George needs to worry too much about what black or women voters think of him anymore. I’m proud of her, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/2 "2004-11-17T00:32:26Z")
What’s the next step? Female president? Black president? Non-American born president? (arnie?) Black female president? (Condoleeza?) Muslim president? Atheist president? Marxist president? no offence meant here. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/3 "2004-11-17T00:34:47Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > What’s the next step? > > Female president? I think we’ll see a woman president before a black one. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/4 "2004-11-17T00:35:46Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > She’s the first black woman to be named Secretary of State. You go girl. > > So, did Bush do it to make himself look better? Or because she’s actually qualified? I think she was a logical choice. Dub trusts her judgement and she’s competent and a known factor to him. She’s also been in a very effective understudy position for four years. I’ll say it, too; you go, girl! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/5 "2004-11-17T00:40:58Z")
Actually Has there ever been a thread similar to my post? (debating the future breakdowns of presidential limitation) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/6 "2004-11-17T00:45:15Z")
Rather a pity that the first black female Secretary of State is little more than a rubber stamping yes-woman for the President (and his handlers). ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/7 "2004-11-17T00:55:02Z")
How naive. The Secretary of State is ALWAYS a rubber stamp for the President. They are executors of policy as dictated by the Chief Executive. What, you thought they could make their own treaties or something? Negotiate trade deals without approval from above? Pshaw. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/8 "2004-11-17T00:56:22Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Rather a pity that the first black female Secretary of State is little more than a rubber stamping yes-woman for the President (and his handlers). Yeah, Og Forbid the SecState actually, oh, I don’t know…do what the President wants her to do! :rolleyes: RJ, in case you haven’t noticed, the job of the SecState is to **apply** policy, not **make** it. The liberals are just pissed that the conservatives have _more_ minorities in _higher_ positions than there ever were under a Democratic President. Go, Condi! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/9 "2004-11-17T01:05:49Z")
She will do her best to bow down to the hawks in the administration. There will be no standing up to them. Four years of yessir! You are right sir! At least Powell did stand up to them every once in awhile. I bet Rummy loves the choice. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/10 "2004-11-17T01:08:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Yeah, Og Forbid the SecState actually, oh, I don’t know…do what the President wants her to do! :rolleyes: > > RJ, in case you haven’t noticed, the job of the SecState is to **apply** policy, not **make** it. The liberals are just pissed that the conservatives have _more_ minorities in _higher_ positions than there ever were under a Democratic President. > > Go, Condi! 😃 Yeah, that’s it, **sil**. Has nothing to do with that famous quote: “Punish the French, ignore the Germans, reward the Russians.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/11 "2004-11-17T01:15:56Z")
Isn’t she the one who got the memo saying, “Osama bin Laden is planning to use hijackers to crash airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentegon on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, oh, and here’s their names and what flights they’ll be on and what their pets like to be called,” and didn’t think it was “specific enough” to bother with? Oh, and she wears her hair like a Powerpuff Girl. Other than that, I got no problem with her. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/12 "2004-11-17T01:18:09Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > So, did Bush do it to make himself look better? Or because she’s actually qualified? Or both? He did it because he trusts her (meaning she’s unlikely to stand up to him and thinks the same way he does). It probably doesn’t hurt that Democrats will be reluctant to stand up to her because of the ‘first black woman to be Secretary of State’ issue. The same ‘first’ considerations will probably help Gonzales become the AG. I’m not sure what Rice actually did aside from go along with the program. You’d think it would be easier to be proud of Powell, who at times tried to stand up for himself and lost his job for it. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/13 "2004-11-17T01:46:16Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Oh, and she wears her hair like a Powerpuff Girl. Like Blossom, the tough one! To me this is a good thing. Or do I have them mixed up. Buttercup is the one that looks like Madeleine Albright, right? ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/14 "2004-11-17T01:47:52Z")
Buttercup is the tough one who wears green. 😉 Blossom is the red head and Bubbles is the blond. Um. I have an 11yo daughter. That’s the only reason I know. Honest. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/15 "2004-11-17T02:25:03Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > She will do her best to bow down to the hawks in the administration. There will be no standing up to them. > > Four years of yessir! You are right sir! > > At least Powell did stand up to them every once in awhile. > > I bet Rummy loves the choice. What do you mean stand up to them. She believes everything Bush, Cheney, and Rummy believe. I thought that’s why she was selected. They’re four peas in a pod. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/16 "2004-11-17T02:39:14Z")
I think Dr. Rice is a _noodj_ for the reasons Eve mentioned; however, just let me say how much I hate this line of questioning: > [@](#): > > So, did Bush do it to make himself look better? Or because she’s actually qualified? You notice it never gets applied to white guys – it’s just assumed they’ll be hired because they’re qualified, not because the person doing the hiring might be biased in favour of their race and gender? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/17 "2004-11-17T02:51:28Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > At least Powell did stand up to them every once in awhile. Everyone SAYS Powell was the tragic hero in the Bush administration who stood up to the chickenhawks, but when it came time to choose between truth and lies, he dutifiully repeated the lies. When, exactly, did he take a principled stand in public? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/18 "2004-11-17T03:15:19Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Oh, and she wears her hair like a Powerpuff Girl. I’ve always thought [she](http://www.rainews24.rai.it/ran24/immagini/rice_primopiano.jpg) looked more like [a fellow intellectual](http://www.sg1871loeberitz.de/bilder/brain.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/19 "2004-11-17T04:53:46Z")
I think she’ll absolutely smoke Madeline Allbright. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2004, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157/20 "2004-11-17T06:12:09Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I think we’ll see a woman president before a black one. And both before an atheist. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/condoleeza-just-did-it/275157.md?page=2)