Among the many bizarre items uncovered as Libyan rebels ransacked Muammar Gaddafi’s Tripoli compound: an album filled with photos of former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The discovery was perhaps not surprising given Gaddafi’s much-professed admiration of the former U.S. Secretary of State, MSNBC is noting. « I support my darling black African woman, » Gaddafi told al-Jazeera television in 2007, according to The Guardian. « 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. »
In 2008, Rice historically became the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit Tripoli since 1953. She and Gaddafi are reported to have enjoyed a private dinner, during which a State Department report indicates the Libyan leader also showered his visitor with an estimated $212,000 worth of gifts — including a diamond ring in a wooden box, a lute and an accompanying DVD, and a locket with Qaddafi’s own picture inside.
Also included among the gifts: « Wonder-Womanesque wristbands » and an autographed copy of his revolutionary Green Book with an inscription that expressed his « respect and admiration, » according to The New York Times.
There are, of course, strict rules about the acceptance of gifts by public officials but when it comes to foreign leaders, diplomatic concerns take priority, as « non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government. »
Though Rice praised the meeting with the Libyan leader as « a historic moment, » her gift to Gaddafi was considerably less opulent: a plate with the U.S. seal, The Atlantic notes.
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