27-08-2011, 03:03 AM
Qaddafi Had Stash of Condoleezza Rice Photos
By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Nicole Gaouette - Aug 25, 2011 2:53 PM ET
When rebels stormed Muammar Qaddafi's fortified compound this week, they found the Libyan dictator's photo album of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whom he once described as a "darling black African woman."
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland today described the discovery as "deeply bizarre and deeply creepy."
In September 2008, when Qaddafi was seeking to improve relations with the U.S., he and Rice had an Iftar meal to mark the end of the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Rice's eight-hour stop in Tripoli made her the highest-level U.S. official to visit Libya in more than 50 years.
For the occasion, Qaddafi donned a white robe with a green and yellow sash patterned in outlines of the African continent. Rice was dressed in a sober pin-striped grey suit.
After their meeting, Rice told reporters that the relationship with Libya was "off to a good start" and "Libya has changed. America has changed."
In greeting Rice, Qaddafi at the time put his hand to his heart asked her how she was. "I'm very well, thank you," she answered. Undeterred by the language barrier, Qaddafi spoke to her in Arabic through an interpreter.
Qaddafi had been an ardent fan of Rice even before their face-to-face encounter. In a 2007 interview with al Jazeera he described her as his "darling black African woman." He referred to her as Leezza and said "I love her very much."
To contact the reporters on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in New York at fjackson@bloomberg.net; Nicole Gaouette in Washington at ngaouette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25...hotos.html
By Flavia Krause-Jackson and Nicole Gaouette - Aug 25, 2011 2:53 PM ET
When rebels stormed Muammar Qaddafi's fortified compound this week, they found the Libyan dictator's photo album of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whom he once described as a "darling black African woman."
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland today described the discovery as "deeply bizarre and deeply creepy."
In September 2008, when Qaddafi was seeking to improve relations with the U.S., he and Rice had an Iftar meal to mark the end of the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Rice's eight-hour stop in Tripoli made her the highest-level U.S. official to visit Libya in more than 50 years.
For the occasion, Qaddafi donned a white robe with a green and yellow sash patterned in outlines of the African continent. Rice was dressed in a sober pin-striped grey suit.
After their meeting, Rice told reporters that the relationship with Libya was "off to a good start" and "Libya has changed. America has changed."
In greeting Rice, Qaddafi at the time put his hand to his heart asked her how she was. "I'm very well, thank you," she answered. Undeterred by the language barrier, Qaddafi spoke to her in Arabic through an interpreter.
Qaddafi had been an ardent fan of Rice even before their face-to-face encounter. In a 2007 interview with al Jazeera he described her as his "darling black African woman." He referred to her as Leezza and said "I love her very much."
To contact the reporters on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in New York at fjackson@bloomberg.net; Nicole Gaouette in Washington at ngaouette@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-25...hotos.html
"Where is the intersection between the world's deep hunger and your deep gladness?"
He probably did like her as much for her oil contacts as any physical or other interest he had in her personally. I'm sure he genuinely was appreciative of a BLACK woman coming to high office in the USA. Gadaffi was a brutal dictator, but he did help many progressive causes sincerely. He was somewhat [not always, for SURE] benign to helpful in helping a hand to poor and struggling - especially non-'Western' downtrodden around the world. Inside his country he was a monster. Despite knowing that, the USA and 'West' courted him and praised him in recent years for 'changing'. He never changed. They looked the other way at his murder, torture and suppression of freedoms, liberty and democracy at home. And they hated him for his progressive support of people in need. I could site many, but he was likely the largest private donor to the ANC and other groups in SA fighting against Aparteit....and he did much other - I think not for any political or economic gain, but out a solidarity. He is a strange mix and a very eccentric personality. Although Tony Blair and Bush Jr. were no less so, except in their dress habits [and that they were malevolent politically, militarily, intelligence-wise BOTH inside their countries and out!]. IMHO.
