As an ardent supporter of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), I am dismayed by his vote to confirm Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (“Despite Democrats’ scathing criticism, Senate confirms Rice,” News, Jan. 27).
As Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) so aptly demonstrated in her questioning of Rice during confirmation hearings, Rice was the Bush administration’s main face in arguing with unwavering certainty that Iraq posed an “imminent threat” and needed to be invaded. She never argued that the administration thought Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction; she argued the administration knew it to be so. Despite Rice’s protestations, her integrity indeed has been impugned by the resulting discovery that Iraq did not possess such weapons. I’m disappointed by Obama’s decision to play it safe and not rock the boat.
