Condi Rice is useless

Condi Rice was just at the Iraq regional conference in Sharm al Sheik where virtually nothing got done. The most recent diplomatic disappointment has been the shift of the Sunni powers away from the Maliki government.

The Saudis refused to meet with Maliki on his recent regional tour, and then openly rejected debt relief at the conference saying that Maliki was favoring the Shiites.

So, with a major diplomatic problem as the top issue of the day and Condi Rice in the region what does the administration do? It sends Dick Cheney.

US Vice President Dick Cheney leaves Tuesday on a four-country visit of the Middle East, looking to shore up support for Iraq among its neighbors and increase pressure on Iran, US officials say.

Cheney's May 8-14 trip to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan comes amid tensions between the United States and its staunch Saudi allies over Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's fragile government.

Condi Rice is useless. She's perceived as powerless and mostly patronized on her visits. She doesn't make deals, she doesn't negotiate. Anybody who wants to get anything done deals with either Cheney or Hadley.

And, yet, she's safe in her job.