Rice: Race Still Issue Because Of U.S. "Birth Defect"

Washington Times:

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.

"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."

Read the whole story: Washington Times

Comments

[eggman]

An unfortunate choice of metaphors. For the most part, a birth defect can't be corrected; you just live with it. Slavery was corrected, but it took another 100 years of unequal treatment before the Civil Rights Act. Even now there is a lot of inequity in law enforcement and the courts. Obama has shown more leadership than the other candidates in recognizing this. But he has not interest in making race a central theme of his candidacy. It's his political opponents--and I guess that would mean the Bush-Rice team--that want to keep race a front-burner issue.

[Sabreen60]

I don't know what Condi's motives are. But I do know this - if you are black in America you know you are black in America. That is not to say that if you are black you cannot not be successful. What I am saying is there are certain negative things that will probably happen to you if you are black. Such as being followed around a store, being pulled over by the cops, not being able to catch a taxi (especialy black males), denied lines of credit by banks regardliess of credit standing, etc.

[bronceye]

George and Weezy moving up to the west wing has been a great example of many things. Her obvious incompetence can be used as a great argument against affirmative action. Had we a competent national security adviser, 9/11 would have never happened. CIA didn't talk to FBI but they each talked to weezy. She has set back tokenism by decades.

[hugs4u]

In't it amazing how first Ann Coulter, and then Rush Dumbaugh and now Condi Rice are all coming out with things that will help Hillary by either straight out endorsing her or beating around the bush to inflame people to go for her. I wonder if it goes back to Hillary being a Barry Goldwater girl.

[LarBear]

hugs4u .... Help Hillary?
The Obama Campaign has accused the Clinton's of Racism several times... The Obama's have played to Race and Color from the start... Barack just did a whole speech basically on Race...
Just a few Months back the Clinton's were our Former President and First Lady... (SIGH) No, the Obama's are NOT Healers and Uniter's... Out of the Obama Campaign has grown Ugliness, Hate and Divisiveness and ALL, craftily blamed on the Clinton's... No, it's NOT the other Candidates that trashed Hillary... Instead, the Obama's Campaign has done this!
How does Condi Rce saying their was a National birth defect in the USA help Hillary, rather than Barack? Makes him an underdog if anything, doesn't this?

[chandler02]

This seems more of a defense of Obama than a helpful comment for Hillary.

[GhostOfSchlesinger]

I'm not certain I agree with you. My gut is that - while all things in politics are political - Secretary Rice actually feels that way.

[ClevelandTom]

How do you figure that this comment from Rice helps Clinton? Seems to me that she is agreeing with much of Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech.

[hoopesaz]

I missed that part in Condi's statements. What did she say that was anything close to support or an endorsement of Clinton? I think you need to take your "Im an Obama supporter looking to be offended" glasses off and re-read her comments.

[Nommo]

Every now and then she must have some memory of where she was on Sept 15, 1963.

[Vixen0932]

good one....

[qdog112]

What if all Americans of that era remembered where they were and what they did. Wonder how many of them spoke out against the murder of children - in a church. I was here and don't recall the nation denouncing or repudiating the terrorist act. The silence was deafening. Her acknowledgment should unite us all, not divide. Maybe we should wait for Tiger or MJ to share with us their "wake up" call. Remember when Oprah got hers while shopping?

[WeekendWarrior]

Or more specifically where her childhood friend Denise McNair was.

[rzan]

I did not know that she had been a friend of Denise McNair. So, now I understand Condi even less than ever. She is an interesting person though.

[BatedBreath]

What a shame Condi got tangled up with shrub. She's a smart woman and may have been an exceptional Secretary of State under another administration.

[ribe8g]

Icchhh. I don't care what she says, ever. She is so fouled with
bushcrement that all credibility has vanished.

[JohnBarleycorn]

birth defects are no laughing matter

[Whinger]

Stated exactly the way Karl wrote it, that should keep the flames and sparks crackling nicely.

[NoMercy]

Pure Rove, to divide Democrats.

By appearing to support the relevance and validity of the issues Obama raised, she serves to keep Democrats at each other's throats, by suppressing any tactical maneuvers on Hillary's part, but keeping the anti-Obama sentiment simmering in their ranks.

Hillary cannot address the issue one way or the other now, without appearing to implicitly endorse Obama, and by extension the Republicans ("who even agree with him!")

[hoopesaz]

How self absorbed are you? Contrary to what you believe, Republicans don't spend every waking hour devising plans to cause democrats turmoil. You are WAY too good at doing that without Republican help. Without any EVIDENCE to the contrary, you just being a fool to turn her comments into some kind of conspiracy.

[Unsui]

Wow, I never expected to say this about C. Rice but: thanks for the straight talk. Is Obama's forthrightness contagious? Can we now expect more pols to speak to the public as if we actually had the power abstract thought? Let us hope...Ooops, does that make me an Obamamaniac?!

[Collielady]

Condi may be the product of a birth defect, not because of her race, but rather because of her conservative ideology. That, I've come to believe, is a birth defect.

[Arguman]

while its true that the US is still a very young nation, compared to, say, the Roman Empire or England, but these analogies of Condi's are just getting ridiculous. What next? The US had its arm broken by its abusive father/mother England?

[earnesttruthseeker]

I'm not a Condi Rice fan - but her metaphor of a 'birth defect' for America is an apt one.

--ET
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/03/donuts-and-reverse-racism.php

[speakingtruth2power]

Several great comments here and my friend Moshe once again shows real class.

All I want to add is that the GOP uses race as a fear and loathing wedge issue and

the Democrats use all minorities for their votes, while hardly ever creating change.

Condi's sex and race were used as tokenism but Barack's rise is reason for HOPE.

[hoopesaz]

It would be more accurate to say that you saw Condi as being some token gesture. I certainly didn't see her as a token appointment. I believe Bush, for all of his failings (and their are plenty), is LESS racist than a vast majority of liberals. VAST MAJORITY.