Well, and it looks like it isn’t Donald Rumsfeld who is being rewarded for incompetence. And, I mean, clearly Condoleezza Rice has tremendous experience in diplomacy. Or at least as much as Colin Powell had.
The good news is that Robert Blackwill is not, as some had suggested, going to be the new Secty of State, nor even NSA. He’ll be a war profiteer, instead, it seems, which will be a lovely job for him. It’s actually good news that in this administration beating a woman in public is considered a bad thing. Of course, bringing India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear war—nuclear fucking war—is a reason to put a fellow in charge of the Iraqi elections.
Thank you,
-Vardibidian.
That story says he “[grabbed] her arm at one point”, which isn’t good, but seems a bit removed from a public beating.
Hm. I’m going by three things: First, when the woman’s boss has pictures taken of the results of the grabbing, which when showed to the fellow’s boss get him fired, then I’m guessing it was pretty substantial grabbing indeed. Grabbing on the order of beating, taking into account libel laws.
Second, I’m interpreting some hints in Indian newspapers from the time he left the Ambassador’s chair there. Here, again, I’m taking into account libel laws and such, and much was left unsaid. The State Department investigation at the time was, according to reports, inconclusive, but then he left the State Department shortly after.
Finally, I’m considering scurrilous gossip quite common at a previous place he was employed. Slander, possibly (unless I type it), but nobody seemed altogether surprised by it. Certainly it seems to me consonant with what I knew of the man.
Taking all of that together, I might guess he grabbed the woman by the arm and threw her across the airport lounge, and that her boss (who forced him out only to have the NSA bring him back) said ‘at last I can nail him’ and did. You might guess something entirely different, but remember that whatever happened, it was enough for the White House’s top advisor on Iraq to be sacked.
Thanks,
-V.