Rice Finds British Muslims Want to Give Her an Earful

Given that neither Rice nor Bush listen well, these British Muslims might as well be yelling at a wall... They certainly would get more of a response. Given the recent Jack and Condi Road Show, it is clear that the full court public relations press is on, but no one is listening, least of whom are the Muslims of the world who have come to mistruct the British and US governments.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice faced more protests and public embarrassment here on Saturday that have turned a trip meant to be a friendly follow-up to an American trip by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw into a two-day run through a raucous, mishap-ridden gantlet.

She was heckled by protesters and faced criticism from Muslim leaders hand-selected to meet with her by the Foreign Office during a visit here, the district Mr. Straw represents in Parliament. He visited Ms. Rice's hometown, Birmingham, Ala., in October.

About 250 protesters ringing Blackburn's City Hall shouted "Shame on you" as the two arrived. Through the din, Ms. Rice looked off into the distance and spotted a handful of people, many holding shopping bags, who had stopped to gawk.

She pointed them out to Mr. Straw, and the two of them waved enthusiastically. Later, Mr. Straw said this gathering of "people who agree with the visit" was "at least as large as the protesters."

In a news conference, Ms. Rice said she was "enjoying this visit very much." She described the meeting with the Muslim leaders as "immensely stimulating and interesting."

"Immensely stimulating and interesting"... In other words, befuddling and frustrating because they could not fathom how the Bush plan equates to a better life for Muslims.

A sly smile began to form on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's face as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw explained Monday why they had the authority to put pressure on Iraqi politicians to form a government. The massive investment of money and manpower by the United States and Britain, he said, gave them "a right to say, 'We've got to be able to deal with Mr. A, Mr. B or Mr. C. We can't deal with Mr. Nobody.' "

Rice broke in, "Jack, I'm sure we'd be all right with Miss A or Miss B or Miss C, too, right?" As reporters burst out laughing, Straw put a hand against his face and recovered, "Yeah, we would. . . . "

"Who knows?" Rice said. "Let's leave it open."

"I was not being gender-specific," Straw said in mock protest. "Don't report me, please."

So it goes on "The Condi and Jack Show," which was on the fifth day of its current run on Monday.

Combining hard-nosed foreign initiatives with tourism and local politicking, the diplomatic duo has bounced across Europe and the Middle East, personifying the "special relationship" between their countries.

On Thursday, they were in Berlin, jawboning the Russians and Chinese on Iran's nuclear program. Rice took a brief detour to Paris and then ended up that same day in Liverpool, England. On Friday and Saturday, Straw squired her around the former Beatles haunt and the town of Blackburn, which he represents in Parliament. They then flew together on an unannounced trip to Iraq for a dramatic two-day visit here to prod Iraqi politicians into action. On Monday, they ended their journey back in London for dinner with Prime Minister Tony Blair.

They are a bit of an odd couple: an elegantly dressed African American woman who grew up in the segregated South and a plain blue-suit-and-tie Englishman who carries a red wooden box as a briefcase. Rice, 51, is a former academic whose sentences sometimes get tangled in modifiers, caveats and endless clauses; Straw, 59, is an experienced and candid politician whose skillful turns of phrase make good sound bites. Rice has been involved in foreign policy issues since becoming enamored of Russian studies in college; Straw had no experience in foreign policy before becoming a surprise choice as foreign secretary in 2001.