Maybe They Should Call It “Power & Power”

Over at Liberty & Power, Aeon Skoble writes:

Lileks makes two very insightful, yet amazingly economical, observations today. The first, regarding the reports that Condi Rice is likely to become the Secretary of State: "I want her to go to Saudi Arabia, and I want her first words upon getting off the plane to be 'I'll drive.'" Yes. At some point, these medievals need to brought into the 21st century, or at least the 20th.

Right, because the job description of secretary of state includes "needlessly antagonizing other countries, especially allies." Perhaps when she gets done with that, she could: -go to the Vatican and suck face with Madonna -do a strip-tease in Islamabad -take her pet pooch to Seoul and dare the locals to eat it Lileks' suggestion is ludicrous in the first place because Ms. Rice doesn't drive herself anywhere -- to hop off the plane in Riyadh and demand to drive would be a flagrant act of singling-out. But far worse, it would have nothing to do with Saudi Arabia's policies toward the U.S. It would be pure imperial muscle-flexing to send an official representative to demand another country tailor its domestic policies to our liking. If Ms. Rice wants to go protest the "backwards" laws of another country as a private citizen -- which means accepting the possible repercussions of such civil disobedience the way you or I would -- fine. But you liberventionists shouldn't hold your breath waiting on that.