On behalf of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy I’d just like to thank those feisty scamps over at Whitehouse.org for doing their bit to highlight Bush’s ongoing break with the last, lingering elements of racism in our party. Being reminded that President Bush has done his part to ensure that African-Americans have a say at the highest levels of the decision-making making process is always welcome; we tend to forget just how uniquely, well, progressive this Administration is when it comes to making sure that individuals are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character when being considered for the highest offices of trust and responsibility in this country. Kudos to whitehouse.org for publicizing this.
(pause)
Alternatively, if whitehouse.org was just Hesioding, then all I can say in response is: kish mir im toches, you racist fu… people.
(Via Matt Stinson and Ricky West, both of whom were a bit more testy about it all)
Moe
So what precisely *is* the content of Condi Rice’s character? She doesn’t seem to have been particularly effective in the job so far, and has made at least a couple of real boners that come to mind (the inane comment about no one being able to foresee planes being used as missiles comes to mind). So why does she still have a job? And why in God’s name are people actually floating her as a viable vice-presidential candidate?
And I don’t think the whitehouse.org thing was precisely racist. Holding to an outdated sense of ideological solidarity, yes, but not racist. But then, I disagree that the Bush administration is doing a lot to distance itself from the Republican Party’s association with racism.
“So what precisely *is* the content of Condi Rice’s character?”
(Shrug) She’s smart, knowledgable, competent and pretty effective in her job. Yes, I know this directly contradicts your opinion, but there you go.
Hmmm…a poster featuring a black woman, making fun of that woman by putting the words “I’m fighting for whitey!” in her mouth is…non-racist. Mmmmm-kay.
She’s definitely under the spotlight a lot more than many recent NSC heads like Berger, Lake, and Scowcroft. The stakes are high, too.
From anecdotal items from GWB’s past (and not from the usual suspects), it appears that he tended as a young man to react with revulsion to racism. He appears, to my eyes, to be hiring people from a range of ethnic backgrounds whose views match with his own and those of his administration. Leftists who choose to use this as an opportunity to use their own brand of racial slurs are off the mark both in terms of reality and in terms of what will be a positive long-run tactic.
She’s smart, knowledgable, competent and pretty effective in her job. Yes, I know this directly contradicts your opinion, but there you go.
So do you wanna, like, explain to me why you think I’m wrong? I’m not steadfastly wedded to the notion that she’s doing a bad job, but I haven’t heard anything so far that makes me think otherwise.
So Slartibartfast, what precisely is racist about it? The fact that they used the word “whitey”?
“So do you wanna, like, explain to me why you think I’m wrong?”
Not especially. You’re the one who went on this tangent in the first place and you received about as complex a response on it as you offered. If I was interested in debating Rice’s competence, I would have done so in the first place. 🙂
She’s smart, knowledgable, competent and pretty effective in her job.
*blinks* Smart and knowledgable, maybe. Competent and effective? Well, I suppose anyone looks competent and effective standing next to the current POTUS.
Yes, I think “whitey” is a fair indication of racist content. Implied Uncle Tom accusation, anyone?
Jesurgislac, you’re reaching. Give some evidence of incompetence, or stop embarrassing yourself.