The Issue: The now-withdrawn idea of President Obama tapping Susan Rice as secretary of state.
***
Finally, a news outlet has printed an opinion article that puts Ambassador Susan Rice’s now-withdrawn shot at secretaryship in perspective in the only sensible way: satirical humor (“Is Rice Really So Bad?” Frank J. Fleming, PostOpinion. Dec. 8).
The government does not attract our most competent people.
It makes do with those not confident enough to seek success in the private sector.
The secretary of state position is nothing more than a title with an airplane and a hundred-billion-dollar budget — courtesy of the taxed private sector — usually awarded to a member of a political constituency and manned by someone who likes to travel.
Can anyone think of a secretary since Henry Kissinger that possessed historical and academic credentials?
Leonard Toboroff
Manhattan
This was not a question of race, but of competency, ability and diplomacy, the last being most important.
With our foreign policy in disarray in the Middle East, we need someone with a steady hand and credibility with the parties concerned.
Rice’s lukewarm support for Israel at the UN — culminating when she skipped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in September — shows an anti-Israel bias, certainly not conducive for future peace negotiations.
Nelson Marans
Silver Spring, Md.