Colin & Condi

About a year ago, I asked some folks if they thought Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice have gotten a pass when it comes to criticizing The Administration's policies and statements.

I think they have - particularly from the Black community.

I've heard a ton of people criticizing Bush and Cheney. I've heard plenty of calls for Rumsfeld's resignation. There seems to be plenty of blame to go around. Yet somehow, I've hardly heard a word of criticism directed at "Colin & Condi" - relatively speaking, anyway.

I'll say it right out. I think it's because they're Black.

I think that a lot of US had high hopes for such high profile, high ranking Black government officials. We wanted them to succeed. We wanted them to be noble. We wanted them to be shining examples of US doing right.

What *I* think we actually got were a couple of people who were too blind to see or unwilling to expose the hypocrisy of this Administration and how many of their actions contradict so-called American values and philosophies.

Instead of admitting this, I believe many of US were in denial and kept making excuses for them.

"Well, Bush must not be listening to them."
"Well, they don't really have anything to do with what's going on."
". . ." (silence)

Or sometimes, we're deafeningly silent. And, to me, that's among Colin & Condi's most obvious offenses. They didn't stand up, break ranks, and say to this country and this world, "This is wrong!"

People act like voices of dissent provide the lion's share of our enemies fuel and fire. No. They've got plenty of motivation. They don't need our help and they certainly won't dry up and blow away if every U.S. citizen, official, and media representative pretended to get behind a single policy or plan-of-action.

I'd like to conclude this little rant by addressing that last element: the media.

In a recent News & Notes podcast, I heard the host, once again, referring to Secretary Rice as "Condi." Interestingly enough, I never hear people referring to Bush, Cheney, or Rove as George, Dick, and Carl. To be fair, they also don't have four-syllable names, but it seems obvious, to me, that there's something particularly familiar about "Condi."

"Condi" sounds like one of your sorors, co-workers, or family members. It sounds like someone you like and respect. It does not sound like someone you would skewer with the same fiery criticism that we direct at others who support and encourage Administration policy.

I think it's a small, admittedly inconclusive sign of the broader issue.

So, the way I see it, we're all (including me) complicit in this disappointing display of discrimination. It's time to take the blinders off and recognize that bias, then deal with it appropriately in all areas.

Powell may be gone (though occasionally publicly critical of Administration Policy) but Rice is still there.

If we want to fuss about the different treatment that Obama gets from the media and the masses, then we need to rise above such political hypocrisy, ourselves.