Condi gets it

My view is, we got to do our way. We did our best. We did some things well, some things not so well. Now they get their chance. And I agree with the [former] president; we owe them our loyalty and our silence while they do it. […] These are quality people. I know them. They love the country and they won’t make the same decisions, perhaps, that we did. But I believe they’ll do what they think is best for the country.

I've always considered Rice to be one of Bush's better choices. Going by the other people serving under him, I think his administration was better with her than it would have been without.

Under a competent Republican president such as Reagan or Bush Sr. I think her tenure might well have been considered successful.

That's not to say she'd be near my first choice for National Security Adviser or Secretary of State, but she's relatively sane and empathetic. For instance she's pro-choice like most prominent female Republicans.

Bill Maher spoke with Madeleine Albright recently and commented that we seem to have a new tradition of women Secretaries of State. Colin Powell was also not a typical face for the U.S. It seems to me that for what it's worth picking foreign representatives from outside the white men's club has worked relatively well for the country. Obviously the effect hasn't been too noticeable with neocons making bad calls from higher up, but they do count for something in the game of international diplomacy and now that Hillary has revitalized the State Department I think the positive effect may be more noticeable, especially with Obama himself as the most visible figure.