Myth Condoleeza Rice, Pianist, Author, Academic ?

Kevin Drum of the Political Animal had an intern at Washington Monthly Jason Stevenson- who found this ...

Condoleezza Rice's first book, written in 1984, was called The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army, 1948-1983: Uncertain Allegiance. It turns out that it was met with immediate skepticism from at least one scholar of Czechoslovakian history .

Joseph Kalvoda, a history professor at St. Joseph College, apparently had a bit of trouble of his own figuring out whether Rice was male or female, but otherwise his criticism of Rice's methods in the American Historical Review still rings eerily true two decades later:

"Rice's selection of sources raises questions, since he frequently does not sift facts from propaganda and valid information from disinformation or misinformation. He passes judgments and expresses opinions without adequate knowledge of facts. It does not add to his credibility when he uses a source written by Josef Hodic; Rice fails to notice that this "former military scientist" (p. 99) was a communist agent who returned to Czechoslovakia several years ago."

"....Rice's generalizations reflect his lack of knowledge about history and the nationality problem in Czechoslovakia. For example....Rice's discussion of the "Czechoslovak Legion" that was "born during the chaotic period preceding the fall of the Russian empire" (pp. 44-46) is ridiculous. (It was "born" on September 28, 1914.) He is clearly ignorant of the history of the military unit as well as of the geography of the area on which it fought."

Rice's dissertation advisor was Josef Korbel. He was a former Czech diplomat, refugee from the Communist putsch of '48, and Madelaine Albright's tutor.

The "Czechoslovak Legion" are pictured in detail by Czech author Yaroslav Hasek in his comic novel "Adventures of the Brave Soldier Sveik".

Pic Baghdad, Monday, April 21, 2003. US Corporal Matt Sweazy 25 from Saint Louis Mo plays the piano in one of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's palaces. via cfpeople.org.image