It is wise to study the ways of ones adversary

A USA Today story from 2008 makes clear that racial loyalty to Mein Obama trumped political loyalty for so-called “Black conservatives”:

You don't speak Russian... 

J.C. Watts, a former Oklahoma congressman who once was part of the Republican House leadership, said he is thinking of voting for Obama. Watts said he is still a Republican, but he criticizes his party for neglecting the black community. Black Republicans, he said, have to concede that while they might not agree with Democrats on issues, at least that party reaches out to them.

It was, of course, Mr. Watts whose insistence on Republicans targeting the Black vote that caused the GOP to abandon targeting the dismantling of affirmative action in the 1990s.

Colin Powell, who was once considered to be the front-runner to break the White House color-barrier, also endorsed Mein Obama in 2008:

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president on Sunday, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

But it was the highest ranking Black female ever in American government who nailed home the concept of “Mein Obama,” saying in 2008:

An emotional Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reveled Wednesday in Barack Obama's election, calling it an "extraordinary step forward" for the nation.

A child of the segregated deep South who became the highest-ranking African-American woman ever in American government and was once considered a potential Republican presidential nominee, Rice called the Democratic president-elect "inspirational" and said his victory was proof of America's promise. 

"This was an exercise in American democracy of which Americans across the political spectrum are justifiably proud," she said. 

"As an African-American, I'm especially proud," said Rice, her eyes glistening with emotion, "because this is a country that's been through a long journey, in terms of overcoming wounds and making race" less of a factor in life. "That work is not done, but yesterday was obviously an extraordinary step forward."

Let’s be honest: if we were working to “overcome wounds and make race less of factor in life,” should Rice really have been shedding tears over Mein Obama’s election?

Or does the fact she cried over his election completely undermine her statement?

Well, courtesy of the Black-and-white Drudge Report, rumors are now swirling that Rice is being seriously considered as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential nominee.

One episode from Rice’s past should completely disqualify her from any government service, let alone being Romney’s VP candidate, but few dare bring it up.

We will.

Here’s how the New York Times described the incident, which occurred on April 20, 2005, courtesy of a Russian radio interview:

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice offered reassurances on Wednesday to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and to listeners of a popular Moscow radio station that the United States would not supplant Russia's influence in its neighborhood despite growing American friendship with other countries in the region. 

Ms. Rice bantered occasionally with Mr. Venediktov in Russian, which she has studied, but she apologized for speaking largely in English, saying she felt too intimidated by Russian grammar to feel comfortable speaking Russian for the whole interview.

Why is this important? Because it has long been asserted that Rice speaks fluent Russian (though she rarely does in a public setting, especially when conversing with Russians), though this radio interview where she was unable to speak basic Russian  - as reported by Daily Kos – should have sunk the Chevron’s carefully manicured image of the SS Condoleezza Rice faster than K19:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried out her rusty Russian in a Moscow radio interview Wednesday, only to get caught out by a question on whether she might run for president. 

"Da (Yes)," Rice answered in Russian, before realizing her misunderstanding and hastily adding "Nyet" (No) -- seven times. 

"It's too complicated to answer!" Rice, in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, started out in English. "It is an opportunity for me to come back to Russia, a place I love very much. I love the culture and the language."She then switched into Russian, but quickly hit trouble. 

Apparently meaning to say that she would like to do her next interview in the language of her host, she chose a verb that sounded more like "to earn money" than the Russian for "to do."

Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. And yet, Conservatism Inc. believes in peddling Rice as a virtuous image of Connected Capitalism (she sat on the boards of Chevron, Hewlett-Packard, and the Transamerica Corporation in the 1990s, a shining example of affirmative action in… action), worthy of helping the GOP supplant Mein Obama – someone Rice shed tears over, in a non-racial manner.

Heading to Pravda, we get this hilarious editorial from 2005 about Rice and her, ahem, intelligence:

How did Condy get appointed as Secretary of State and labelled a Russian expert? Could it be that she told President Bush that she was an expert in rushin' around and he made her his "Rushin' expert"? 

Asked whether she would run for President at the next election on Ekho Moskvy Radio programme, Condoleezza Rice answered Da! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Nyet! Not bad for someone who is quoted frequently by the Western press as being a fluent Russian speaker and a Russian expert, although she has never lived in the country. 

Before admitting to this schoolgirl's question that is was difficult to speak Russian, she had already made a fool of herself on Tuesday, when she declared that the Kremlin's grip on the media is "very worrying." The question is, what grip? 

For the information of Condoleezza Rice, who despite being Secretary of State of her country, continues to demonstrate an ignorance of world affairs at a shockingly consistent level, the notion that the Kremlin exerts a grip on the media is a fairy tale invented in the gardens of Washington. As correspondent of the English version of Pravda.Ru, director and chief editor of the Portuguese version and collaborator for three other Russian publications, two of these being official media organs, I have frequently asked for guidelines from the Kremlin on what line to follow. 

The answer: "We are afraid we cannot give you any guidelines as you request. You will have to write the truth, after checking your sources, obviously", or words to this effect every time the question is posed.

In Hunt for Red October, there’s an invaluable exchange of dialogue between the Americans and Russians, that underscores the importance of SBPDL:

Capt. Bart Mancuso: What's so funny? 

Jack Ryan: Ah, the Captain seems to think you're some kind of... cowboy. 

Captain Ramius: [in Russian] You speak Russian. 

Jack Ryan: [in Russian] A little. It is wise to study the ways of ones adversary. Don't you think? 

Captain Ramius: [in English] It is.