Former Ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice joined Boston Public Radio Wednesday to discuss her memoir, “Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For.”
In the book, Rice reflects on her life and career in foreign policy during the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administrations. In particular, Rice recounts how she became embroiled in the Benghazi scandal and the impact it has had on her career.
“My mistake, so to speak, was to be the first one out there speaking broadly on what had happened, and utilizing information that predictably proved to be preliminary and ultimately was altered,” Rice said. “In the hot house of [Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign] I was roundly accused by many, particularly Republicans in Congress and right-wing commentators, of being a liar and of deliberately misleading the American people.”
Rice also weighed in on President Donald Trump’s handling of the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. She contrasted the way Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden with Trump’s announcement, and said that some aspects of Trump’s speech potentially endangered national security.
“From the point of view of effectively fighting terrorism, when you kill a high-value target of the sort of Bin Laden or Bhagdadi, there is always a risk that the killing inspires further terrorist attacks and sympathetic attacks,” Rice said. “So, it’s really not wise, frankly, as President Trump did to spike the football, and give gory details, and talk about operational specifics that can compromise future operations.”
