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Subscribe to RSSIt’s not just Benghazi anymore.
One of the most controversial energy projects in the nation also has become a flash point in the drama surrounding who may become the next secretary of state – and it’s coming from the left instead of the right.
Back on Nov. 28, “OnEarth,” published by the Natural Resources Defense Council, dug into U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice’s financial disclosures and found that she and her husband have a stake in TransCanada, the company pushing for the Keystone XL Pipeline to be built.
NRDC officials say it's an important issue that must be discussed during the nomination process. But the timing of the report raises questions, as it is being surfaced by an environmental activist community that has previously given support to another potential secretary of state candidate – Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.
NBC News' Mark Murray explains why the partisan divide over the potential nomination of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is intensifying.
The decision on whether to approve the pipeline goes through the State Department.
“If confirmed by the Senate, one of Rice’s first duties likely would be consideration, and potentially approval, of the controversial mega-project,” Scott Dodd at “OnEarth” wrote. “Rice's financial holdings could raise questions about her status as a neutral decision maker.”
Dodd noted that “Rice owns stock valued between $300,000 and $600,000 in TransCanada, the company seeking a federal permit to transport tar sands crude 1,700 miles to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast, crossing fragile Midwest ecosystems and the largest freshwater aquifer in North America.”
Bill McKibben, an anti-pipeline activist, told the publication: “It’s really amazing that they’re considering someone for Secretary of State who has millions invested in these companies. The State Department has been rife with collusion with the Canadian pipeline builders, and it’s really distressing to have any sense that that might continue to go on.”
Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the NRDC's director of international programs, sounded a less strident tone a day later: "What's most important is that she rid herself of her holdings in TransCanada and other tar sands-related companies, and we're confident she will do that ... What's most important is that we have a good, thorough review done.”
Danielle Droitsch, a senior attorney for the NRDC and director of the Canada Project, told First Read: “We think Ambassador Rice has the credentials to be secretary of state, but if she were nominated, and then appointed, these holdings would have to be addressed.”
She added that “high-level officials dealing with Keystone should not have any conflicts of interest.”
The likelihood is that, if nominated, Rice will have to divest herself of her TransCanada investment to avoid a conflict of interest.
Will new Obama appointments come this week? Is there a way to get both John Kerry and Susan Rice into the Obama cabinet? NBC News' Chuck Todd and Time's Joe Klein join the discussion.
The environmental group’s effort to shed light on Rice’s financial interest in TransCanada could be just an attempt, if Rice is nominated, to get a “thorough review” and make sure it has a staunch ally in trying to thwart the project, as Casey-Lefkowitz said.
But could it also be a signal that the NRDC prefers another candidate for the job – Kerry, the other of the final two candidates reportedly being considered for the post?
After all, environmental groups have strongly supported Kerry in the past and have a long working relationship with him. Like they would for most Democrats in a presidential election, for example, the NRDC and the League of Conservation Voters, among others, ran ads in the 2004 election boosting Kerry.
LCV even endorsed Kerry before the New Hampshire Democratic primary that year, although it has notably not spoken out about Rice.
Droitsch, however, would not address whom the NRDC prefers for the job.
“We’re trying to signal that the pipeline decision has to be conflict-free,” Droitsch said. “That would pertain to any potential nominee. The president has the prerogative to nominate the person he believes is best for the position.”
The Senate will then raise questions, however, she said. And “now is important to raise the issue ... We want to make sure that anyone who’s being considered would be free of those conflicts. That’s our primary interest right now.”
The NRDC, which has been very involved in efforts to block Keystone, is the environmental interest group most pressing the issue of Rice’s financials.
But others might not be as keen to see Kerry leave Capitol Hill. After all, consider that green groups already spent a lot of money trying to oust Republican Scott Brown from the Senate – and were successful.
But if Kerry becomes secretary of state (or even defense secretary), his seat would become vacant, raising the potential for a costly and competitive special election.
“Who cares if the U.N. ambassador has a TransCanada stock. Who cares if the head of the FDA has TransCanada stock,” said a Democratic strategist and ally of the administration who is a veteran of confirmation battles.
“If she [Rice] were to be nominated, she would go through a process by which we look for financials conflicts. Maybe this stock would be identified as something that posed a conflict, and she would sell," the strategist said. "But she hasn't gone through that process, because she's not a nominee to anything. If they want to say that if she is the nominee, she should sell the stock, that's fine. But you can't legitimately hit her for having it now. And that is likely why NRDC backed off and no other environmental groups have piled-on.”
What really is going on here likely has less to do with Rice and whether she should ascend to secretary of state, and more with the NRDC leveraging pressure on the president and the administration to make sure the pipeline is rejected again once it comes up for approval. And that could be soon.
The next step in that approval phase, in fact, could come as early as next week, Droitsch said. TransCanada has applied for a shortened pipeline in hopes of having that approved – something the NRDC strongly opposes. A Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement could be released by the State Department as early as next week, Droitsch said.
“It is critically important for there to be independent decision-makers, free of conflict of interest, who can take an independent view,” she said.
She then tied the administration’s decision on the pipeline to climate change, an issue that has regained prominence as a result of Hurricane Sandy. In the days following Sandy’s landfall, in fact, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Barack Obama for his leadership on climate change.
How Obama decides on the pipeline “signals where the U.S. is headed in terms of importing dirty fuels, inconsistent with an administration that is committed to fighting climate change,” Droitsch said.
“We’re confident President Obama understands the seriousness around the issues surrounding this pipeline. Approving it sends the wrong signal about our country’s commitment to climate change. Yes, he’s under a lot of pressure, but the public is very concerned about this. It’s not a decision I know he’ll view lightly.”
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She's done, period, and rightly so. Nominating her would be a big mistake; don't think it will happen. Benghazi wasn't her most egregious sin. She was acting on the info she had. How many that condemn her, and are using the ever-so-intelligent euphemisms "libtards" and "Hussein" and "Obummer", would like to talk to us about how Condi testified about 1) weapons of destruction in Iraq or 2) how Bush was given intelligence in August 2001 about 911, but failed to come back from vacation to act? And none of this made her a bad Secretary of State.
Who was UN Ambassodor when the Marines were killed in Lebanon? Who was the SOS when that happen under Reagan? Was there a GOP out cry for heads to roll? Republicans don't tell on other Republicans. Remember that old battle cry from Reagan. I guess it could still work today for the Dem's.
Your right, but politicians can't live without the oil companies,,,where else are they going to get their money....also the auto industry relies on the oil companies as the oil companies rely on the auto industry...and I am willing to bet there are solutions out there that would still provide America with autos and be non polluting...wonder how many times someone has come up with something and the auto industry has bought the ideas just to let they lay around.
Face it...She is no Condoleeza...Her Rice is fried!
She is better than "shop to you drop" Condi!
Now, what's happened here, it's very convenient, a leftist group has found the conflict. The Politico is reporting: Information, that has from all appearances been public information for three months, but which the National Resources Defense Council's On Earth blog noted about nine o'clock, ten o'clock last night. Why? Because it's time to throw her overboard. The regime is throwing Susan Rice overboard. She has served her purpose. She has provided the distraction from what was Obama doing during the seven-and-a-half hours of the attack on that consulate. That's the question. Where was Obama? Was he asleep? Was he disengaged? The death of four Americans. Susan Rice becoming the next secretary of state. So it's lefties that have discovered this. It's leftists, I'm sure with the assistance of the regime, so Susan Rice is gone.
Patriot: we all know where Bush was one month before 911, when the CIA marched over intelligence to him that Al Q was looking to strike using commercial planes. On vacation, telling the CIA to just leave his Daddy's Boy, entitled behind alone. And how about in 1983, when Weinberger said Reagan's failure to provide security was the prime reason for the death of 241 soldiers? Yet so many of you are ready to put Reagan's head on Rushmore! Try to practice SOME objectivity, stop looking for a scandal that doesn't exist, and move on.
the pipeline is good for america as it help to reduce dependency on mid east oil.
Canadian oil destined for export, not American consumption, build the pipeline, refine the oil, export to Japan, China, points east to Asia. Are you aware that the US already exports oil, a good portion of domestic production does not stay here--it gets out-sourced. America is poised to be the World's biggest producer of energy by 2020, but will the average American benefit or will the energy producers sell to the highest bidder regardless of American need?
John your right...but the problem is that politicians can't live without the oil and auto industry....I would be willing to bet there have been ideas that would eliminate the need for fossil fuels and still provide people with reliable transportation at a reasonable cost, but the auto industry most likely has bought all those ideas and shoved them into a shreder...
How in hell is the pipeline going to damage the ecosystem? If it were to get damage, even blown up there are valves VERY close to each other that will shut off the flow... it is redundancy after redundancy...The spill would be similar to a tanker truck spilling its entire load in a worst case scenario..Greenies are insane.. As far as Rice goes she lied and people died...Remember that catchy slogan? Its an oldie and a goodie...lol.... She clearly lied and Americans died and a horrible President was reelected with the medias complicity..Rice and the Media and others obviously covered up Fast and Furious and Benghazi. Either would have killed a republican if reported but both would have probably gotten a republican thrown in jail. Whatever, it doesn't matter if we trot out Howdy Doody for Sec of State at this point. We are a non threat militarily, economically and politically around the world thanks to King Obama.. Kerry, Rice... whatever..
What a scam.-----You first make it look like the pipe line won't go through and then buy stock at a low price, next, you approve it. I smell a rat and it runs right to the top.
Her problems and ineptness go way back beyond the Benghazi fiasco. Do some research on her.
KERRY..is Not the Right's ..Favorite Son..
Yet..His Nomination..and Confirmation..would Be..a Finger Snap..For ALL...
Rice on the Other Hand.....?
Uncle Ben-Gazi's ..Comverted Rice........
If YOU ..Don't like Rice..Then YOU must be a Racist..?
Some People..Just Do Not accept ..what The Pilaff...is Made of....
We Have ...Enough Trombone Players..in The Orchestra....
Do you want a 4th..string Player..Marching To a Different Drummer..?
Just like Gobal Warming, or New Iceage, or Climate Change (which is all the above). They blow issues out of control. They (the anti pipeline activists) Say she has millions of dollars invested, but the article says at most 300-600K she has invested. It is like saying the 12 inch fish you caught was closer to 6 feet. They complain that the ice sheet are melting, yes they have been melting for thousands of years. Yet you see them in their big gas guzzelers, and Lear Jets, and huge homes. Just look at Al Gore. Such hypocrties. All the politicans have millions of dollars invested in Stocks, they are rich and most don't have a care in the world for populas, except duing election time. And that is over, and we put the same clowns back in.
Kerry would be no better or worse then Rice. Both would be bad. There has to be better choices out there.
I guess the GOP'ers will never learn. 2016 looks good for the Dem's from where I'm standing. No wonder the tea party is destroying the GOP. Dumb dating dumber, what a lovely pair.
Standing..? I thought you were sitting?
Driving ...that Democratic Donkey dung wagon...To the Re-cycle..site..?
Thats what you get for trying to think. Low brain waves at work.
What a bunch of sorry ass posters with to much time on their hands. Instead of wasting their time trying to induct their opinions on others perhaps they should reflect the energies on their families and less time on a key pad.
kerry is a commie and rice is a colored person, these types of people can not be trusted.
nice attempt at reverse psychology but most people probably didnt get it.
Ahhh a pretend ...Conservative...
a Media Matters accolyte...ZZZZZZZZZ...zzzzzz
Meanwhile the President has nominated no one, all the speculation and vitriolic verbiage means nothing but a lot of hot toxic gas being vented. What is the Right Wing going to do if Rice is not nominated, I suspect the Right Wing will go after whomever is nominated with the same vengeance, why, because the President nominated him/her. Have at it, all the mean-spirited spewing means nothing.
The whole objection to Susan Rice is based on the Teapublican/GOP trying to force the President's hand and offer the job to John Kerry so Scott Brown can get his seat in the Senate I think if push comes to shove the President should nominate ex- Governor Charlie Crist and than watch the right implode.
So why did the LEFT bring it up?
I have NO PROBLEM...
With KERRY Or His MILLIONS of Top 2 %..Wealth..
I Really Don't Mind His Many Legal Tax Shelters..
Among which..Is Anchoring..His Yacht..In Rhode Island .....instead of Massachusetts..
Hey...If a Guy can Save $260,000.00 a Year By Docking His Ship...in another State..It's after All...Legal..
He paid up, however, the Bush's change of residency from Maine to Texas avoiding Maine income taxes, that meant nothing to you Ali, but a yatch does? Jeez.
I have NO PROBLEM with Kerry's honorable military service to his country. I have a BIG problem with war mongers like Bolton, Cheney, no-show reservist Bush and hawk Rush, who so energetically advocated sending lesser-priviledged men and women off to fight pointless wars, while they received deferments for everything including a boil on the ass!
Rice was only doing what all red blooded american greedy bastards do! The greed in this country is what makes it great. Look at how the people who receive money from the government went to the polls and voted to keep their giveaway savior in power. I can hardly wait till we go over the cliff so interest rates go up and I can invest all the cash I have in high return interest bearing bonds. Suckers!!!!
its obvious why republicans keep bringing kerry up. if hes out dems can lose a spot in the senate.
with all this fiscal cliff stuff...raising the debt ceiling a while back...all these republicans getting in front of cameras saying what amounts to "oh no its the other guy we're not keeping anything from happening. its all him. we're innocent".
i know msnbc uses star wars analogies a lot but you cant blame them. even now that obama ran on honesty in raising taxes--something a politician has never done successfully before by the way--its like republicans are sith lords trying to fool everybody into thinking it didnt happen. trying their hardest to get everyone to ignore reality. "no no... our way is still the right way. none of you voted against us. we're still here afterall."
the way all these people keep believing what republicans are lieing about, and distracting with...the sheer tragic childishness of it all... im also reminded of a line from star wars.
"so this is how liberty dies...with thunderous applause."
romney didnt win but that doesnt seem to keep them from acting like he did.
ahhhh.? it's "obvious " now..Hmmmm..?
tell us..where is the radio transmitter hidden..?
minty, the fact that you rely on MSNBC, negates anything that you might say, in an intelligent mode.
this would be what i referring to when i said "tragic childishness". stanboy and aliblahblah proved me right without even realizing it. thank you!
Minty, are really crazy or do your posts just seem that way?
Here is my simpleton reason for not liking this person as a SOS or any other key position. It seems as though everyone in this administration is turning up having integrity issues. Not as being slippery politically motivated people as would happen at that level, but as having very solid hypocritical integrity failures as people. From Pointsettia to the former General CIA director, it seems they would all sell their souls for a little position. The Rice lady came from successful D.C. parents with normal Dem/Lib attitudes. No problem there. She went to England for school, Africa to study and form her early years, then lived in Canada until being plucked by Madelene Allright to take a position in the Clinton WH. The point is that she said the one thing that most affected her in life was seeing all the thousands of dead bodies in Rwanda that were murdered and how the U.S. had to do something to stop things like that from happening. SO, Clinton made a huge goof sending a couple of helicopters into Somalia, and then fearing any more political backlash from another intrusion, pushed the millions being killed in Rwanda completely under the table and refused to help those people. Big point is that instead of resigning from the Clinton WH over this, she kept going and being promoted. Then she popped up again under Obama years later and fell into the UN job. She is supposed to be an Al Queda expert, but then goes off to do the presidents bidding pushing the stupid video excuse all over the news selling out again what she really knew to be true so that she could get another promotion to SOS for doing the dirty deflection work. No integrity there. Just a sell out. Sorry.
simpleton indeed. only a simpleton would think any of that made sense. maybe you should go post that in a fox news forum somewhere.
Thanks Opie..Andy takin' you fisin'..today..?
Why do you people insist on typing "fox news" everytime you can't present some kind of logical response? Is that all you know are your Moveon, DNC, and MSN talking points? Damn, Bush this, Fox that, Rush this and that. It gets old, very old. Worn out old. Go read her own personal resume / bigography. It is posted on line, as are the personal write ups for anyone at that level. You people really are mindless aren't you?
The woman has made a career of selling out her integrity to the highest bidder, as have most of the WH staff if you look at their backgrounds. It is the truth, and fact.
Fox scares the crap out of liberals with the truth. MSNBC is their bastion of Pinocchios like Pyscho Schultz, Stiff Neck McDonnell and Dukie Maddow.
Let us see how many UN Ambassodor's we had during the Dubya era. Shall we count them children? Cunningham, Negroponte, Danforth, Patterson, Bolton, Wolff, Khalilzad. That must be a hard job to keep. Clinton had four in eight years. Did you guys know that Daddy Bush was UN Ambassador under Nixon?
Dubya is not President. Tired. Real tired.
Facts are facts. Then it must be clear that Dubya was never a fact.
For the truth; always, always follow the money.
You are correct
so money equals truth to you does it? how convenient that must be for the people around you.
how many times have you been paid to believe the sky is yellow?
As long as we jail all of them, Republicans and Democrats, I'm all for it
Add some sauce ..to your Rice Dishes..
and they become,...easier ...to swallow..
Add a mushroom cloud and some WMD's the dish would be a best seller.
don't hold your breath if the pipeline is approved, for lower fuel prices, as most if not all is going to be shipped overseas where the profits will be generous to the canadian oil companie's, as well as those thugs we call politicans!