WASHINGTON - Asia's tsunami disaster provided a "wonderful opportunity" for the United States to show compassion with relief efforts that reaped "great dividends" on the diplomatic front, Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice said.
Rice's remarks, made at her Senate confirmation hearing, drew a sharp rebuke from Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer who accused her of insensitivity to last month's catastrophe that claimed some 168,000 lives across the Indian Ocean.
Rice, the outgoing national security adviser, made clear in her opening statement Washington's hope of consolidating its influence in the region, following up on the goodwill generated by US military help and financial aid for tsunami victims.
"Our Asian alliances have never been stronger, and we will use that strength to help secure the peace and prosperity of the region," she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was expected to clear her nomination with little trouble.
US officials have trumpeted the massive military relief effort mounted by the Pentagon as a humanitarian gesture that could score points in a part of the world where anger still lingers from the Iraq war. In response to a question, Rice agreed readily.
"I do agree that the tsunami was a wonderful opportunity to show not just the US government, but the heart of the American people, and I think it has paid great dividends for us," she said.
Boxer, a sharp critic of Rice's work as national security adviser, quickly took the nominee to task over the characterization of the tsunami as a "wonderful opportunity."
"The tsunami was one of the worst tragedies of our lifetime," Boxer said. "And it's going to have a 10-year impact on rebuilding that area. I was very disappointed in your statement. I think you blew the opportunity."
2 comments:
She's nasty all round. Yuck!
Yes, she's not one of my favourite people.
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