You Can’t Criticize Condi Rice Because She’s Black!

A number of times in the last six years whenever Condi Rice has come under criticism Republicans bring up the point that she is black, and claim that Democrats shouldn’t criticize her because of this. They further say that to criticize her is racism. Rush called criticizing her a “lynching.” That’s the same term used to counter criticisms of Justice Clarence Thomas’s professional behavior during his Senate confirmation hearings. He used it to fend off criticism and the rest of the Republican world echoed his claim. This has become a familiar refrain. Countless time Republicans have made the claim that Democrats shouldn’t criticize Condi or other prominent black Republicans because they are black. Bullshit! That claim itself amounts to racism. Saying that you can’t criticize a person on the basis of their race is as racist as criticizing them because of their race. On this the week of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday it is important to remember his words that our American Dream is that one day people will be judged not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character. If someone in a prominent position of serving the American people is screwing up, that needs to be pointed out. It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference what their race is. If they are doing a good job again it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference what their race is. Saying that we can’t point out the failures of Condi Rice or Clarence Thomas or any other person of color is itself racism. Calling criticizing of a person’s professional behavior a “lynching” is racism. You wouldn’t call criticizing a white person a lynching would you? No. It’s racism plain and simple.

This week Senator Barbara Boxer pointed out that she has no one in her immediate family at risk in Iraq since her children are too old and her grandchild is too young and Condi Rice has no close family member at risk in Iraq either. Republicans pounced on this saying that she was deriding Condi for not having children and besides…wait for it…Condi Rice is black! Listen to every Republican statement on this and you will hear them mention that Condi is black. Like that gives her carte blanche against any criticism. Does Condi’s race have anything to do with this? Of course not. It’s maddening. I’ve heard my Harvard educated brother-in-law make this lame claim. I don’t know whether these people are really that stupid or they think the rest of the American people are that stupid that we won’t see this as the racism it is.

And by the way, you can't criticize me for this, because for all you know I may be black.