Rice v. Boxer

Life according to a Democrat: We like minorities ... Republicans don't. We help, encourage, nurture, understand minorities ... Republican's don't. Minorities can thank Democrats for everything good in their lives ... go ahead and blame Republicans for everything bad. We beleive you should have a helping hand from government to make up for past suffering ... Republicans would rather see you in the gutter.

So you can imagine the head-scratching amongst Democrats as Bush went about selecting the most racially diverse Cabinet in US history, including:

The first Black Secretary of State
The first Black Secretary of Education
The first female Interior Secretary
Not to mention Alberto Gonzales, who'll soon be the nation's first Hispanic Attorney General

How do Democrats respond? They tear down - or at least try.

They try to label Gonzales as pro-torture, but it didn't stick and he'll be confirmed. And today they set their sights on Dr. Condoleezza Rice.

Barbara Boxer - that pillar of truth - questioned Rice's integrity:

"I personally believe that your loyalty to the mission you were given to sell this policy overwhelmed your respect for the truth."

In other words, "I think you're a liar"

Boxer then went on to say she'll be submitting contradictory statements for the record, made by Rice, about the War in Iraq.

Rice, to her credit, didn't take the bait:

"I have never ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature, it is not my character ... And I would hope that we can have this conversation and discuss what happened before and what went on before and what I said, without impugning my credibility or my integrity."

Should Gonzales or Rice get a free-ride in their hearings because of their skin color ... no, I don't believe in Affirmative Action.

Apparently - today at least - neither did Boxer.