Democrats have it in for Republican Minorities

They confirm the white candidates. However, confirmation of the black and hispanic candidates, even though they are qualified, are a problem. What's wrong with this picture?

Blacks need to wake up and stop voting for Democrats reflectively. We need to think about which party can do the best for us. Having a former Klu Klux Klan member hold up Dr. Rice's nomination does not look good for the Democratic Party.

But after members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Rice by a 16-2 vote yesterday and the full Senate prepared for a vote today, some vehemently anti-Bush Democrats suddenly served notice they wanted more time.

Republican sources identified the key holdouts as 87-year-old Robert Byrd of West Virginia, along with Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, both of Massachusetts.

Byrd, a former Ku Klux Klan member, has been one of the most vocal critics of Bush. Rice would be the first black woman to serve as secretary of state.

Byrd's spokesman, Tom Gavin, said the delay was "not intended as any slight to Dr. Rice" and said that before voting, the full Senate should "have a chance to read the transcripts" of her confirmation hearing.

But Republicans said the delay, coming after last week's efforts by Democrats led by Sen. Barbara Boxer to challenge Bush's November election, was an effort to damage the president's second-term momentum.

"The Democrats looked foolish and partisan in the way they questioned the president's election and this looks arbitrary and unnecessary," said Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.).

A spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Democrats would allow the confirmation today of Mike Johanns as agriculture secretary and Margaret Spellings as education secretary.

Rice on Ice