Posted: 5/27/2005 2:34:41 PM EDT
She was speaking in San Hellsisco and some people started standing up in black gowns ala Abu Gharib, some booing some applause for that stunt, so as they were escorted out she says (something along the lines of...): "IT's great to be in a country where you can speak your mind, and it's great that they have that right in baghdad now as well." <applause> It was real sweet. Crowd liked that.
Condoleezza Rice Visits San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged Friday that John R. Bolton has "rough edges" but said it was time for the Senate to approve his nomination to be U.N. ambassador so he can promote needed reform.
A day after Democrats forced the Republican-run Senate to delay a vote on Bolton until at least next month, Rice called him a "pretty tough person" and added, "There are many people who work for him who would walk through a wall for him."
Bolton has been accused of bullying intelligence officials whose analyses ran counter to his conservative ideology. His defenders have said he did not mistreat them and is entitled to disagree with intelligence estimates he receives.
Answering questions at the Commonwealth Club during a long weekend trip here, Rice cited the U.N. Human Rights commission as a key example of why the world body needs an overhaul.
"When you have a commission on human rights and Sudan is on it, nobody can take it seriously," Rice said, referring to a country that the Bush administration has accused of engaging in genocide.
"We need to send a strong voice for reform of the United Nations to the United Nations," Rice said.
Democrats have demanded that before the Senate votes on Bolton's nomination, the administration show lawmakers documents on his use of government intelligence on Syria. They also want documents about instances in which he asked for names of U.S. officials whose communications were secretly picked up by an American spy agency.
Shortly after Rice started speaking, at least two protesters stood wearing what appeared to be black robes and black hoods, an apparent reference to U.S. abuse of detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. The crowd applauded as the protesters were taken from the hall.
Rice seemed undisturbed by the interruption.
"In Baghdad, Kabul and soon in Beirut, they too will be able to speak their minds," she said.
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