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That's how the State Department is describing a surprising find inside the compound of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi: a photo album filled with page after page of pictures of Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state who visited Tripoli in 2008. The pictures were first highlighted here on PhotoBlog and went on to be published around the world.
The album is just the latest addition to a bizarre collection of loot discovered by rebel fighters ransacking Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound. Earlier this week, PhotoBlog published images of the Libyan leader's eccentric fashion accessories and his daughter's golden mermaid couch.
Ammar Abd Rabbo / Abaca
Rebels examine a photo album of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which was found in Moammar Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound in Tripoli, Libya, on August 24.
The Associated Press reports:
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Thursday said she hasn’t seen pictures of the album. “I think I don’t need to see the photos, but bizarre and creepy are good adjectives to describe much of Gadhafi’s behavior,” Nuland said. “It doesn't surprise me. It's deeply bizarre and deeply creepy, though, if it is as you described.”
Though maybe the discovery isn't that surprising. Over the years, the Libyan leader's comments and actions related to the former secretary of state have raised a few eyebrows.
Consider how he talked about her in an interview with Al-Jazeera television in 2007, where he hinted that then-President George W. Bush's top diplomat wielded considerable influence in the Arab world.
Mahmud Turkia / AFP-Getty Images, file
Moammar Gadhafi poses with Condoleezza Rice prior to a meeting in Tripoli on September 5, 2008. Rice's was the first such visit in more than half a century, marking a new chapter in Washington's reconciliation with the former enemy state.
"I support my darling black African woman," he said. "I admire and am very proud of the way she leans back and gives orders to the Arab leaders. ... Leezza, Leezza, Leezza. ... I love her very much. I admire her, and I'm proud of her, because she's a black woman of African origin."
The following year, Gadhafi and Rice had an opportunity to meet when the secretary of state paid a historic visit to Libya — one that made steps toward normalizing relations after the United States went decades without an ambassador in Tripoli. (The U.S. "doesn't have any permanent enemies," she said during the trip.)
Gahdafi welcomed Rice in his home — one that President Ronald Reagan once ordered bombed in retaliation for Libya's attack on a German disco — for the traditional meal that ends the daylight fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Once again, he repeatedly addressed Rice — "Condi" to her friends — as "Leezza," her aides said.
During the visit, he presented Rice with a diamond ring, a lute, a locket with an engraved likeness of himself inside and an inscribed edition of "The Green Book," a personal political manifesto that explains his "Third Universal Theory for a new democratic society."
Together, the haul was worth $212,000. (Rules prevent her, or any other U.S. official, from keeping gifts from foreign leaders — they generally end up in a warehouse, and some may turn up years later in a presidential library.)
Flash forward three years, when Libyan rebels moved into Gadhafi's Tripoli stronghold and took control. There, left behind in the compound, was Gadhafi's dear Leezza, her image affixed to the pages of a photo book.
Sergey Ponomarev / AP
Rebel fighters look through a photo album they found inside Moammar Gadhafi's compound on August 24.
Rebels leafed through the album Wednesday after finding it as they rummaged through Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound.
AP photographer Sergey Ponomarev was with the rebels as they flicked through the album. "There were lots of rebels celebrating their victory," Ponomarev said. "It was still unsafe - loyalists were shelling the compound from time to time - but rebels were celebrating the seizure of the Gadhafi compound. They believe the victory is in their hands. Some of them even brought their children to the scene."
Rice did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the discovery of the photos.
Related content:
PhotoBlog: One photojournalist's surreal ride into Libya's war zone
Slideshows of the Conflict in Libya and Moammar Gadhafi through the years
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Sit2k is that your graduating class, Obama is a muslum and not a born US citizens. That not to say that the republican offering was much if any better. Facts is facts and Osama is dead either. But, yard chickens are not much for thinking, what yard are you pecking in now? Bush,Clinton, and carter were not the brightest lights on the street either. Congress and Senate just want another payraise and more benefits but no more thinking. Gadaffi is a really bright leader compared the last ones we have had.
Gee I wonder how many were stuck together.....
Anyway for those who think the rebels are for their country, look closely, this are a bunch of dumpster divers. Dumber than rock, now they will be just like the rest the the proverty train.
Now they got him pissed, stealing the pictures of his girlfriend.
"The volcanos will blow red! The heavens will rain fire! And all that other crap he said too!
In his book Cheney says he wanted to bomb Libya but Bush said no.
I bet the Repubs would have been all for going into further debt to bomb another random 3rd world nation if Bush had been doing it. Rah rah GO AMERICA!
But since Obama is doing it they don't agree. They can't agree.
i guess catching terrorists means nothing?
This article was full of valuable information.
Where's all those shoulder launched Libyan missiles Al Qaeda has now?
UGH! Poor Ms. Rice, having a stalker would be bad enough but to have that creepy ass as your stalker???
He was more demented than realized..whacking off to pictures of Condoleezza Rice...Wow!
Me thinks that the Liberals on this vine are being very good little "RACISTS" this morning..
When Obama campaigned for President, he talked a lot about sitting down and talking to other world leaders (Ahmadinejad) face to face and trying to work out our differences. You praised him up and down for this effort and said that he would repair our image in the eyes of the rest of the world...
Now I see all of you condemning a woman for the same exact thing. Just because this nut case has an infatuation with her doesn't mean that she acted on it nor participated...
Therefore, I can only conclude that your inner racists are surfacing this morning!!!
Ellie Mae...This is Granny ...put the Corn Liquor down!!!!
fran, now you're being an envious racist... You're just upset that we Clampett's have tons of money and you can't seem to get your hands on any of it... Redistribution is working out to swell for you, is it???
Well,rah,tee dah. Who cares.
So what, he admired Ms. Rice. He's still a dangerous nutcase, but at least he held in high esteem someone with intelligence.
Oh that Condie, she must be a real firebrand. If you all remember George W had the hots for her also. Can you imagine the three of them together, kind of turns the stomach doesn't it?
Standing with hands down is acceptable anthem or pledge as long as its respectable. But of course hoping the president fails so the country can fail is good.
If she weren't a lesbian, I'd be tempted to conclude that she traded Gadhafi's acceptance into the western world for some very special personal "favors". And Stanford gave this woman a teaching job. Unbelievable. Who is palling around with the terrorists now? Imagine what conservative degenerates would be saying about Hillary if she went to Libya to break fast with Gadhafi. They would demand Obama's impeachment.
Me ignorance is alive and well, since you mentioned her being a lesbian, something only the gay community attest too ,one could come to the conclusion that is where you reside.
From looking at Omar, seems he'd have had albums of GW instead of Condo. Maybe she gave him some nice make-up tips or something. Not many leaders or famous people went to libya very often, he was overjoyed when she did. OK, that said, Bush was ready to cut a deal with Gadaffy it appears and accept him back in good graces, now what do we have, more Sharia and Islamic BS. The rebels were beaten until the UN stepped in and turned the tide of war. What is wrong with the world, we now have Taliban where we used to have half decent dictators. Hussein kept peace in the middleast by whipping Iran every few years until Bush took him out, now we have a mess, go figure.
Although, I don't like Qhdafi attitude and his view on so many things. Clearly this man is dillusioned but he is a proud African man. He sees himself as a true African man but with Arab origin. That's why he was trying to unite the whole africa as one big indivisible country (United States of Africa) so that the westerns can't just and remove a leader from this continent at will, but this proposal fail and didn't see the light of the day, do you know why? simply because Africa is more diverse and with different languagues, cultures, tribes, religions etc.
I think our forefathers would have thrown everyone out of office and started replaceing them with people that would do right for the people instead of special intrest groups !!!! I still can't understand why Obama is still in the White House instead at the end of a rope or in a nice dark prison cell !!!
Really N.C Thornton? Is that what you have in mind? Out of this whole conversation, you are thinking child porn? Maybe you should seek help.
Really N.C Thornton? Is that what you have in mind? Out of this whole conversation, you are thinking child porn? Maybe you should seek help.
Condi is cool, kind of funny and weird when you think about it... Can any post spare the politics? - give me a break folks...
This is in response to those questioning etiquette during the Star Spangled Banner. United States Code Chapter 36, Section 301:
(a) Designation. - The composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem. (b) Conduct During Playing. - During a rendition of the national anthem - (1) when the flag is displayed - (A) all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart; (B) men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold the headdress at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and (C) individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note; and (2) when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.
momo what you're suggesting is that people on here know how to comprehend what they read, it's obvious they don't.
do ya think...condi did the right thing letting those terrorist learn to fly...she's so smart...do tdo tdo tdo...
This is not so surprising if you look at the covert ops that Condomleeza Rice has been running for a long time. She was the one who totally failed to raise the alarm when given explicit warnings before 9-11 that bin Laden was to use airplanes as weapons against the US. She and Cheney worked against Powell and others, using sinister means to further war and death. She may well have been in bed with Gadhafi literally and in how the US and UK went into business with him, ignoring his sponsorship of terrorism that brought down an airplane. I hope the media will have the guts to track Condomleeza down at her cushy job at Stanford and ask her some hard questions about her relationship with this dictator.
How many times are you going to paste this same tripe around here? Get a clue and put your tin hat back on before they get you.
This is the most disgusting article I have ever read. The ones on here suggesting Rice did anything to cause this freak to act the way he does is ludicrous. This is just more propaganda to attempt to make this administration look good and others look bad, doesn't work for any one with common sense and if I was Rice whom is a very smart outstanding American lady I would sue the pants off of msnbc for slandering my name. Gadhafi is more than likely being hidden and protected by his and Obama's good friends, Rev. Wright and Farrakann. It concerns most of us more that Obama and his friends act so anti-American than what some old insane leader said about a true patriot like Rice. Give it up msnbc bc you are looking more and more like a bunch of grade school reporters and we have much more to worry about than sillly gossip.
Pointing out that this freak had a photo book of Ms. Rice is slander how? And has what to do with the current administration? Wingnuts will totally stretch to take a swing at Obama. And it's not MSNBC that I would consider of grade school mentality, but those of you with the conspiracy theories about everything that Obama does. He is a patriot, and he is Black, and you wingnuts need to deal with it. I'm sick to death of the outright racism displayed in this country and truly saddened that this is the best we can do. And stow the "just because we disagree" tripe, grow a set and tell the truth, it's racism.
Amused get a dictionary and educate yourself on the definition of racist ,then try ignorant. Not all people who disagree with Obama's policies are white.BTW the article is about a black woman in the Bush White House ,am I to believe that all you wonderful Liberals with your hateful comments about her are racist.