It's funny how she was okay with McCain showing up in Columbia the very day hostages were rescued, displaying high levels of access to intelligence and to that country's president, who has been strangely over-critical of Obama.

Rice helpfully defines the proper behavior of embassy resources in an election year... in July of that year, after one candidate was able to go overseas at least twice while the other was mired in a hard-fought primary race:

"It is imperative that, in implementing these various requirements, we treat both major presidential candidates evenhandedly," she wrote. "Our interactions with the candidates need to be made in the context that they are also sitting U.S. senators and very important U.S. visitors with special security concerns."

But she forbid them from any attempts to "hold or arrange receptions or public events for the candidate," "arrange the candidate's meetings" or "use official funds and resources, beyond a de minimis level, to support a political trip."

My question is, what makes it "a political trip?"  Was not McCain grandstanding in Mexico and Columbia political?  Does not any foreign trip by McCain, who is running on a foreign policy platform, seem politically motivated?

I'm not going to stand here and suggest that Obama isn't making a play to the world stage by trying to look presidential.  It's a smart move; Americans, especially those who travel abroad or deal with foreigners regularly, crave to repair their image in the world, and seeing Obama giving a speech to tens of thousands of eager listeners in Germany would be a potent image to us, here.

But let's not try to suggest that the Bush administration isn't doing whatever it can to sabotage Obama.  From pulling al-Maliki's puppet strings to calling in massage-induced favors from the German Prime Minister in interfering with Obama's speech plans, it's plainly obvious that getting a free bus from embassy would be small potatoes when compared to the favors McCain has gotten already from the standing government.

Luckily, Obama can afford his own accomidations, and, travelling as he is with the top three network news anchors, I'm sure they'll work something top-notch out with the people and organizations excited for an Obama presidency.  In the end, if the State Department actually remembers they made this ruling, it may end up hurting McCain; he has no organization and very little overseas enthusiasm for his candidacy. Of course, the time for trips overseas may have passed by now.

What say you?

UPDATE: AP reports that a State Department "spokesman" refutes that such orders weren't given in advance of McCain's trips.

The orders went to all overseas posts and tell government employees not to do anything that might show favoritism or amount to improper campaign activity. A spokesman said the State Department issued similar orders ahead of presumed Republican nominee John McCain's similar overseas tour four months ago, but limited the communication to embassies in countries the Republican planned to visit.

This is still pretty vague, and doesn't mention whether McCain was able to use any embassy resources on his Columbia/Mexico trip, which was technically a campaign trip, if I recall correctly. Regardless, Rice made a significanly larger deal of the issue this time, clearly.