BAGHDAD, April 3 -- 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 the Iraqi politicians to end their bickering and 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 suggested. "Let's leave it open.""I was not being gender-specific," Straw said in mock protest. "Don't report me, please."Now playing: the "Condi and Jack Show," in its fifth straight day.
Combining hard-nosed foreign initiatives with tourism and local politicking, the diplomatic duo have bounced across Europe and the Middle East, personifying the "special relationship" between the two countries.
"Special relationship" indeed.
