Being a lame duck causes people to do some odd things. Basketball coaches in the final year of their contracts will blatantly disobey front office commands and live in a state of denial about the status of their team (we're talkin' bout' you Isaiah). Office workers awaiting the axe will wipe out the supply cabinet, and even steal cleaning solution from the janitorial staff (I've seen it with my own eyes) on the way out. Politicians will abandon ship 6 months before their term is over, leaving their constituents without representation. And then there's the Bush Administration, which seems to be whittling away in numbers by the day.
You probably caught HUD Alfonzo Jackson's perp walk sudden departure the other day, under threat of Grand Jury investigation. If you didn't, this photo tells you everything you need to know.
"Nice job, Al. Thanks for comin' out. See ya' later."
"Yessuh! Thank yu' suh'."
Somewhat quieter were the comments (props to AverageCommenter i.L.L.) of outgoing Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice when asked about Barack Obama's recent speech on race, and the state of race in America period.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United States still has trouble dealing with race because of a national "birth defect" that denied black Americans the opportunities given to whites at the country's very founding.After years of watching Rice tapdance right around the issue of race, this strikes me as a particularly ballsy (no harm intended) statement. Let's not forget that this is the same Condi Rice who claims to have been mostly shielded from issues of discrimination while growing up in 60's era Birmingham and Denver. The same Condi Rice who helped Bush craft his ill-fated position on race-based preferences. The same Condi Rice who stood by idly as thousands of soldiers (many of them black) were sent off to an unjust war.
"Black Americans were a founding population," she said. "Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together — Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That's not a very pretty reality of our founding."
As a result, Miss Rice told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that."
"That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today," she said.
Race has become an issue in this year's presidential campaign, which prompted a much-discussed speech last week by Sen. Barack Obama, one of the two remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination. Miss Rice declined to comment on the campaign, saying only that it was "important" that Mr. Obama "gave it for a whole host of reasons."
But she spoke forcefully on the subject, citing personal and family experience to illustrate "a paradox and contradiction in this country," which "we still haven't resolved." America doesn't have an easy time dealing with race," Miss Rice said, adding that members of her family have "endured terrible humiliations."
"What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them — and that's our legacy," she said.
It's good to see her say something right for a change.
This being America and all, you know the typical pundits who have licked her boots for years have instantly turned on her overnight. The usual suspects (Hannity, O'Reilly, Savage) have lambasted her as ungrateful and unpatriotic. And peep this Situation Room interview with the Grownup Bobby Hill from King Of The Hill, aka: Lou Dobbs, where he gets himself so worked up over Rice's comments, he nearly Don Imuses himself.
"Cotton"-what? Watch yourself, Bobby.
"A Message To The Oreo Cookie... Here's What They Think About You."[1]
I suppose Rice, much like Colin Powell, is beginning to care about her legacy post-Bush administration. And seeing how her Presidential aspirations are basically toast now, I guess she decided to Channel Her Inner Negro and tell em' why she really madd, sonn! Good for her.
My stance on Rice has basically always been the same: I've never agreed with her political views, but there's no way in the world you can front on her intellect and accomplishments. Folks can talk greasy about her all they want, but you can't tell me she isn't a great role model (for girls and boys) and a testament to where intelligence, working the system, and keeping your head down [||] can get you. We need a lot more Condis, and a lot fewer Melyssa Fords. But that's just my opinion of course.
While Powell has chosen a post-military mission of community service (America's Promise), I wonder exactly what Rice's lasting imprint on America will be. I mean, where exactly do you go next when you're the Most Powerful Woman In The World? It's all downhill from here. She could of course go corporate again and get caked-up like most politricians, but something tells me she won't. If this statement is any indication, I'd say we should expect a better, blacker Secretary Rice in the future.
G. Garvin move over. Look for her Cookin' With Condi show, coming soon to TVOne.
Question: What do you think of Rice's statements on race, and the reaction of some talking heads? What is your overall opinion of Condi Rice? And is it just me, or does Lou Dobbs look just like Bobby Hill from King Of The Hill?
Rice hits U.S. 'birth defect' [WashTimes w/audio]
Did Lou Dobbs call Condoleezza Rice a cotton picker? [DailyVoice]
Embattled HUD secretary Jackson takes exit ramp [Chicago Tribune]
[1] Name that tune.
