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Updated 5:20 p.m. - Senate Republicans managed to achieve their goal of blocking U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice from becoming the next secretary of state after Rice, on Thursday, withdrew her name from consideration by President Barack Obama.
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and NBC's David Gregory joins The Cycle to report on Ambassador Susan Rice's decision to withdraw her name from consideration for Secretary of State and what this means going forward.
Republicans were more measured in their responses to the withdrawal than they had been in their earlier criticism of Rice, whose prospective nomination had come under fire for her role in publicly explaining the Obama administration’s assessment of the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision. President Obama has many talented people to choose from to serve as our next Secretary of State," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement.
Related: Rice drops out of running for secretary of state
Graham, along with Sens. John McCain, Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, N.H., had led an effort to pre-empt Obama from naming Rice as the successor to outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I respect Susan Rice's decision and appreciate her commitment to public service," Ayotte said in a statement. "However, my concerns regarding the terrorist attack in Benghazi go beyond any one individual."
Rice told NBC News in an exclusive interview on Thursday that she no longer wished for Obama to consider her for the position. In a letter to the president, Rice said she feared a confirmation fight in the Senate "would be lengthy, disruptive and costly." The full interview with Rice will air tonight on Rock Center with Brian Williams at 10 p.m ET.
McCain’s office said: “Senator McCain thanks Ambassador Rice for her service to the country and wishes her well.”
U.N. envoy Susan Rice is dropping out of the running to be the next secretary of state. Brian Williams will have an exclusive interview with Rice on tonight's "Rock Center With Brian Williams" at 10p/9c.
Each of the Republicans, though, expressed continued concern about the Benghazi incident in their statements, and said they would continue their efforts to probe the matter.
Obama said he has accepted Rice's decision, hailing her as an "extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant." He said Rice would continue to serve as U.N. ambassador, and as a member of his national security team.
The trio of Senate Republicans had vowed to work to block Rice's nomination if Obama settled upon the United Nations ambassador as his nominee, stemming from her explanation for the Benghazi attacks. Rice had appeared on public affairs shows the weekend after the attack to assert that the assault -- which left four Americans dead, including Amb. Christopher Stevens – to assert that it was the outgrowth of a spontaneous rally to protest an American video that was offensive to Islam.
An investigation in subsequent weeks revealed that the attack in Benghazi was actually a coordinated terrorist attack, which prompted pointed questions from Republicans about why the administration had first put Rice forth to assert otherwise. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tried for a series of weeks to effectively tarnish Obama politically with the mixed public explanation.
McCain, Ayotte and Graham pressed the matter further after the election, winning a meeting with Rice last month amid speculation that Obama wished to name the trusted adviser to fill the top diplomatic job.
"If Sen. McCain and Sen. Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me," Obama said at a press conference following his re-election to rebuff the Republican troika. "And I'm happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and besmirch her reputation is outrageous."
But there were indications that the critiques had started to wear on the public perceptions of Rice. In the NBC/WSJ poll released Wednesday, Rice was rated positively by 20 percent of respondents, while 24 percent of said they had a negative perception of her.
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While I thank John McCain for his service during the war, his behavior and machinations over the past 6 years indicate he needs to go home. Day by day he's losing his position in history. His self-promotion of going on Foreign Affairs Committee, is the last straw. His bogus attack on this woman discredits him further. McCain backed Condaleeza Rice where she had come out making unintelligent comments about WMD, and even scarier, images of 'mushroom clouds' after these ridiculous comments. The man who refused to back the heros of 9/11 who risked their lives and are now paying the price, the man who wraps himself in the flag, but is not there for the veterans when they come home. He's creepy and manipulative. He supported the swiftboating of John Kerry and now does everything he can to get John Kerry in as Sec. of State --- all so he can give Brown another shot at being Senator.
Pathetic man, pathetic times. Funny how you no longer see his daughter out in public, promoting a moderate view of republicanism that I respect.
GOP racists = 1
Our country = 0
Got to be racist if you don't like the black woman for the position....any time you disagree you gots to be a racist....typical
trouble1954
You are #1 Racist
trouble1954
Plus ignorant
We shall never forget; we shall never surrender! The GOP party of lunacism and obstructionism continues to earn its fallen place in America!
Well, congratulations Graham, Ayotte, and McCain. I'm sure you three are feeling awfully proud of this "accomplishment" you so vehemently sought. You know, I remember when McCain's birthplace and birth certificate were in question. Born in Panama, presumably at Coco Solo - a family hospital outside the military base, and with no birth registry recorded at any military hospital to prove his citizenship. Democrats didn't raise a war with this as they could have. Yet, McCain has fought insidiously against Obama's birth records, and equally insidiously against Rice. Perhaps the greatest liar of all is the one who goes the greatest lengths to disprove another's truth.
Just like Obama born of an American parent so therefore a U.S. citizen.
Birther
It's a shame, she would've approved the pipeline.
Three Stooges, really. I could say he same for most of the hate I see coming from most of you. I am not surprised since that is the reaction from the same old mouthpieces that post night after night. You are behaving exactly like you have accused the Republicans of behaving after losing the presidential election. Win some lose some, that's the way it goes so take some of your own advise and grow up. Obama could have encouraged her to continue the fight or flatly rejected her letter to withdraw. Susan Rice is just another victim thrown under the bus by the President. The only thing positive I have to say about this situation is it appears by Susan Rice’s letter that she has more character and class than Obama could ever dream of. Obama should be ashamed for putting her in the situation he did but narcissists don’t think that way.
Harold I beg to differ one day i heard a radio report how she was a armature in every way and inexperienced also It's just good policies to praise her now that she is resigning I would hope I would have better morals to report what was pretty much a lie on National tv about bengahzi now to me it's so apparent they got the intell on Binliden right they got the intell on the recent doctor rescue right we are told but why not Benghazi it's the same sham since 2008 say the misguided information 900 times and American will believe it just repeat it and it becomes the truth that's the technique used by the obama administration the untransparent adminstration ever
I figure she dropped out because she had something more to hide and didn't want any further embarrassment.
don't be fooled-the only reason the republiclowns want kerry to be sec of state is so scott brown can run for his senate seat-pure and simple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's the way to keep winning them over.
This ain't your Fathers Republican Party anymore.
Low Class and Low Road...
Who ever thought that very wealthy people could still be Trailer Trash?
Susan Rice was damaged goods......FACT
"Rice took aim at her GOP critics"??? Maybe she shouldn't have lied to the American people when she went on 5 different talk shows a few days after the Benghazi attack. I guess she's just now learning that what you say has consequences.
Yeah, shame on Ms. Rice for using the CIA-provided talking points made available on her September 15!
And here they are, courtesy of CBS, at this citation:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57550337/cia-talking-points-for-susan-rice-called-benghazi-attack-spontaneously-inspired-by-protests/
The CIA's talking points read as follows:
"The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the US diplomatic post in Benghazi and subsequently its annex. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.
"This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and as currently available information continues to be evaluated.
"The investigation is on-going, and the US Government is working with Libyan authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of US citizens."
Ain't research a wonderful thing when debunking false beliefs?
Well, some of us think so.
Ms. Rice relied on the available intelligence, something Messrs. McCain, Graham and Ayotte will never be accused of -- relying on intelligence, that is.
Goes to show that if Obama covers it up with the help from the news, and people can still get things for free while putting this country further into debt without regard for their own children's future, the liberal idiots will support this worst president we have ever had.
McCain’s office said: “Senator McCain thanks Ambassador Rice for her service to the country and wishes her well.”, right after stabbing her in the back!
McCain is a war hero....Susan Rice is a nobody
Put it in perspective. Lindsay Graham and John McCain maliciously and aggressively attacked and criticized Susan Rice for what likely was one honest error, yet GWBush constantly lied like a “convict on the run”, with Condi Rice always boldly repeating and swearing to everything he said - and all of that while both Graham and McCain never said even one word to fault it. Politics stinks but I think Graham and McCain literally took it to its lowest level with their self-serving arrogant and obnoxious abuse of power, to simply intimidate for political purposes. It isn’t what you think of S. Rice that matters, it is what is accepted as appropriate and ignored when it is disgusting and a total abuse of power aimed to just con the public and simply serve political self-interests. Adding injury to insult, they got away with it.
Yup, The Bush Administration lied hundreds of times about Iraq, which accounts for a sizeable portion of our current deficit, since he kept the Iraq War "off the books".
Here's proof:
Lies first
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_8049600
Then the off the books stuff:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/the-deficit-and-the-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan/2012/05/16/gIQAT4UaUU_blog.html
Gop'ers.... your answer???
I hope the three stooges are satisfied that or their slander of a wonderful and hard working member of this country and if anyone of the three would care as much about this country as they do tearing down Ms. Rice reputation it would be a miracle. Lindsay Graham is nothing more than a yes man to McCain and I am beginning to believe that the attacks on McCain by the Bush team in 2000 at the Bob Jones University has more truth to it than fiction. I have always thought that was an uncalled for attack, but maybe they knew more about McCain than the rest of us!!!
The sista just couldn't cut it....wrong choice.....FACT
I am glad she withdrew. Neither she nor the Obama administration would reveal exactly who gave her this "intelligence" so everyone could get to the bottom of it. Thus, it would be an continuing strain on her in the position of SOS. None of us need more of that. Let her fight the battle to conceal the source(s) while outside the administration. It's very easy to conceal what happened by simply claiming that the intelligence agency gave her that information...if I had to guess, the information might have given to her that way, filtered by someone in the administration. What intelligence boob would have given her wrong information. Sorry, cynical I may be but I just don't believe it.
What I am not grasping is why anyone would deliberately call the attack a demonstration in response to a video knowing that it was a planned terrorist attack. What would be gained from such a deception?
Tippy From Alexandria
Please refer to post 115.1 above. The story quoted (and cited, too, so you may read it yourself) is dated
November 15, 2012 10:55 AM.
I hope that provides some clarity for you re the events of that time.
Ofcourse our Muslim leader still supports Rice, she's black , liberal and has not a clue what she is doing. Fits the mold of anyone in the Obama administration. Maybe she is a Muslim too that would be total qualification.
Gunner thing--Please explain why no one has ever seen Obama entering, within, or leaving a mosque. Otherwise, we will have to assume that you are simply another run-of-the-mill, clueless, hate-mongering right wing bonehead.
Yeah, heuydoor gunner, and we wanna see her birth certificate, too!
Oh, wait. That ruse didn't work before either.
Never mind.
Her "birf cerificate" wasn't the issue....she was the wrong person for the job....FACT
What a crock. When Condoleeza Rice got off easy after her incompetence before during and after 911-she still got to keep her job. The Republicans won this battle but it only exposes what hypocrites they are. They lost the election and for good reason.
Condi Rice was an Advisor for Bush's first term. Bush and the republicans didn't make her Secretary of State until long after she told lies about Iraq's Nuclear Program. And no republican even cared that Condi knew what she was saying were lies at the time she was saying those lies on Sunday News Shows.
^^^yawn!! is anyone else getting tired of the backward finger-pointing. Let's talk about the here and now Dummick. Because you thinki somebody was incompetent in the past, we should allow more incompetence in the future? You and those who think like you are the societal cliff!!
Hey, Obama... When it comes to the Fiscal Cliff... Compromise with these republicans every bit as much as they compromised with you over Susan Rice. Do what's right for America and get some payback all at the same time.
LOL...are you mad, bro ?
Republican obstructionism is alive and well. They learned absolutely zero from their 2012 election losses. It will come back to bite them in the next election, too. They never learn.
She was bad news.....had a TON of baggage between Benghazi and the stock thing.....see ya Susie
And yet another brilliant master stroke in a seemingly never-ending display of inaction, disingenuity, and negativity by The Gang That Couldn't
ShootThink Straight.Now....if only Obama would submit HIS letter of resignation.......well, a brotha can hope can't he ?
wrong
I never heard much about Susan Rice, but just watching her speak and the way she presents herself projects more intelligence than anyone in the GOP, except Powell.
LOL....she was NEVER going to get that job.....NEVER
It's seems that Obama tossed Rice under the bus because there are too many unanswered questions surrounding the Benghazi attack on 9/11/12, and he doesn't want to deal with a dragged out inquiry through Rice, on why a rapid deployment force was ordered to stand down and two competent Generals were sacked for wanting to mount a rescue. Instead, Obama allowed four brave Americans to die for some strange reason. I feel another executive privilege cover may be coming, if they get too close.