Condi... ments

So Secretary Rice breaks off from her latest shopping spree to throw cold water on the finally serious debate in Congress by spouting her usual demented bromides but, this one caught me completely off-guard considering the reports I've been reading:

Defending Baghdad's progress, Rice credited the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with reducing sectarian divisions within Iraq's problem-plagued security forces.

"We shouldn't dismiss as inconsequential what they've achieved in this period of time: bringing security forces to the fight -- yes, security forces that still need a lot of help -- but security forces beginning to turn the tide against sectarian violence because they're acting in a less sectarian way," she told ABC.

Not only is this complete Orwellian double-speak, it is also completely unfounded and if this is al-Maliki's doing I'd be completely suprised.

The Iraqi forces are under the direct command of US forces, if any one body has exerted pressure on the sectarian elements within the Iraqi army, that body would be the US military command in Iraq not al-Maliki bunkered down in the green zone incapable of even assembling a quorum within his own parliament.

This womans grasp of the situation is risible. They only put Condi out there because she is the least despised person in this entire administration and that is mainly through her perpetual twin gifts of remaining reasonably well turned out whilst remaining 'mostly' irrelevant.