CONDALEEZZA RICE EXORCISES THE NEWS HOUR

On Jim Lehrer last night Condaleezza Rice got a chance to weave her spell. Got to hand it to the lady. She looks him right in the eye and doesn't twitch or blink excessively when she accuses people of "making excuses" for terrorism.

Here's an exact transcript of the segment followed by how I wish the rest of the interview had gone:


TRANSCRIPT:

JIM LEHRER: What about the additional element here that, increasingly, terrorism experts and Muslim experts are saying that the combination of Iraq and other foreign policy decisions by the United States are actually creating more terrorists every day than they are eliminating them.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE: When we are going to stop making excuses for the terrorists? The terrorists on Sept. 11 attacked the United States. We weren't in Iraq. We weren't even in Afghanistan on Sept. 11.

They have attacked in places that had no forces in either place. They've attacked all over the world. They've attacked in Morocco and in Bali and in Egypt and in London and in Madrid.

When are we going to stop making excuses for the terrorists and saying that somebody is making them do it? No, these are simply evil people who want to kill. And they want to kill in the name of a perverted ideology that really is not Islam, but they somehow want to claim that mantle to say that this is about some kind of grievance. This isn't about some kind of grievance. This is an effort to destroy, rather than to build.

And until everybody in the world calls it by name -- the evil that it is -- stops making excuses for them, then I think we're going to have a problem. And I hope that after the bombings of innocent people in London, innocent people at Sharm el-Sheikh, innocent children in Iraq, that people will call this by name and stop making excuses for these people.

No one is making them do it. They're doing it because they want to create chaos and to undermine our way to life.

END REAL TRANSCRIPT, START FANTASY TRANSCRIPT:

Lehrer: Wow, you said it four times in one monologue. People are making excuses for the terrorists. Care to elaborate?

Condi: I said what I said. People make excuses. It's the liberal media, wanting to give them therapy and understanding. They don't need therapy; they need exorcism.

Lehrer: That's a tall order. Exorcism. Does that mean you think they have the Devil inside?

Condi: They're terrorists. Nobody made them do it. They're evil.

Lehrer: Wait a minute, if they're evil and need exorcism, didn't the Devil make them do it; isn't that what you're saying?

Condi: Stop twisting my words. They're evil and they like to kill. Stop making excuses.

Lehrer: Who's making excuses. Did the Devil make them do it or not?

Condi: That's not for me to say.

Lehrer: But how do they get to be evil? Are they born that way, or is it a lifestyle choice?

Condi: It's a choice, it's the way they are; it's not for me to say. Stop putting words in my mouth!

Lehrer: Is it like being gay?

Condi: That's a lifestyle choice and I'm here to talk about evil, and people who want to kill Americans and undermine our way of life.

Lehrer: Because they're evil?

Condi: And they want to create chaos. It's just how they are. They hate Americans and our way of life, and I wish people would stop trying to make excuses.

Lehrer: But why do they hate our way of life?

Condi: I keep telling you, they're evil; they're perverted and evil and they hate us and they like to kill. Got it? Hate us. Like to kill.

Lehrer: And we hate them and looks like we like to kill them too. Or torture them; what about Abu Graib?

Condi: What about it? Those people are evil.

Lehere: The detainees or the ones torturing them?

Condi: We don't torture people. And anyway, I told you, they're evil. Kill the evil. Kill the Devil. Anyway, it's exorcism. Cleansing. You liberals ought to like that.

Lehrer: So is this a Christian thing? A Catholic thing?

Condi: Let me be perfectly clear. We are not advocating one religion over the other. Most Muslims are good people. It’s the perverted ones, the evil ones, don’t you get it?

Lehrer: I guess not. So do you think our killing them is helping? I mean, are we getting rid of the Devil if we kill them?

Condi: Exorcising them. Exorcising the Devil. Stop making excuses.

Lehrer: OK, let’s move on. About John Bolton

Condi: Man of peace. Whip that evil UN into line. I mean exorcise it. Look at all the evil countries on the Security Council. There's a lot of work to do there, let me tell you.

NEW CLASS IN PRACTICAL POLITICS SEPTEMBER 17

Another Activist Training Class in PRACTICAL POLITICS is coming up September 17, at the College of Marin.

Here's an example of some of the things we will be discussing this time.

Save the date. More to come.

Any questions, email me at del@greendogcampaigns.com

Our last class filled up, so register early!

Dotty