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Black Democrats Don't Like Senate's Treatment of Rice
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
January 26, 2005

(CNSNews.com) - Why are Senate Democrats debating the qualifications of a woman whose accomplishments speak for themselves, some prominent black Democrats wondered on Tuesday.

Andrew Young -- the former Atlanta mayor, U.S. congressman and United Nations ambassador in the Carter administration -- and C. Delores Tucker, chair of the National Congress of Black Women, agreed to appear with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Tuesday, to urge support for Dr. Condoleezza Rice as the next secretary of state.

"We think that Condoleezza Rice not only deserves the support, but the country needs a strong, wise secretary of state with a bipartisan mandate to help establish democracy, not only in Iraq, but around the world," Young said.

"We think that this should be a strong, civil process that gives her (Rice) the mandate to lead America's foreign policy in a very, very troubled world."

Sen. Frist, in introducing Young and the other black leaders, called it a "challenging day," given the fact that Democrats "forced" the Senate "to debate a nomination which I'm absolutely confident will be confirmed tomorrow with an overwhelming majority."

"Condi Rice's destiny, I believe, is to be secretary of state," Frist said. "If you look at her past, if you look at what she has stood for, if you look for her principles, she is the ideal person to serve as secretary of state," he said, adding that Rice's nomination should have been confirmed last week.

'Don't like what is being done'

Tucker noted that her organization set up a commission on presidential appointments -- to make sure well-qualified women, such as Condoleezza Rice, were nominated to high-ranking government positions.

No African-American woman has ever been nominated to such a high position, Tucker said, adding that Rice's credentials make her better qualified for the job "than possibly 80 percent of the persons that sat in that office" before her.

Tucker questioned the Senate's need to debate Rice's qualifications on Tuesday. "And why we're doing this Monday morning quarterback -- I don't know why," she said.

"When I was secretary of the state of Pennsylvania, I had none of this problem," Tucker said. "And I just think now that we need to stop trying to find any kind of Monday morning quarterback problems [on] why [Rice] should not be immediately confirmed."

"And we just are here to support her and let her know that we're with her and we don't like what is being done here.

"And further," Tucker added, "it certainly diminishes what she could do overseas. How could she say that she supports democracy, when a democracy does not support a woman that they know is more qualified than any other we have had in this position, especially for such a time as this in America?"

Jimi

Those great things were said by partisan senate. Condoleezza is a part of, what a lot of us consider atleast, a highly manipulative regime. She was one of the biggest advocates of a war a lot of people don't believe in, and there are going to be a lot of people pissed off about her becoming the Secretary of Defense. I, obviously, am one of them.

Juana!

my 20 pesos..

i do not think we can say all democrats... they were no more than 12-13 of them that voiced a different view... some expected... as kerry that is not a gracious loser... kennedy... just a fat lazy government leech ...

but also notice how many of the deomcrat senators voted for confirmation... some of them even complained about this cheap partisan tactic... look at Sen. Hillary Clinton... she voted for it... she is smart...

a little side note... 2008 Hillary Vs. Condolence.... so you guys maybe get used to have a woman pres...

Jimi

hahaha, Condoleeza would not be nominated, I guarantee it.

Wayne Brady

Is it all that much of a suprise that certain Democrats lead by Kerry and Boxer criticized Rice so harshly? The Republicans used to do the same thing when they were the minority party. From Barry Goldwater to Newt Gingrich there is a whole legacy of bipartisanship. Don't hate the players hate the game. I was personally hoping the party as a whole could rise above it, but I quess I'll have to settle on the people who are not in the leadership or on the far left not to play dirty politics. Kudos to the democrats who didn't follow the Kerry/Boxer lead.