Boxer comments to Rice draw fire from the right - Sen. says she won't apologize for 'strong message'

[Kadie]

Boxer comments to Rice draw fire from the right
Senator says she won't apologize for 'strong message'
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer

Saturday, January 13, 2007

snip...
Boxer, defending herself against critics from the right, said Friday that she was "speaking truth to power" at a Senate hearing Thursday when she confronted the secretary of state -- who is unmarried and childless -- noting that neither she nor Rice will "pay a price" personally for sending more American troops to war.

"I was just saying what I felt,'' the California Democrat said in an interview with The Chronicle. She said she would not apologize for the exchange because "I delivered a very strong message and tried to find common ground with her ... and I tried to draw us together, and not apart.''

snip...
"This is just typical of what they do. ... The Bush administration always goes after me, and anyone who has been against the war from the start,'' she said. "It's 'kill the messenger.' ''

snip...
Asked if her exchange with Rice was, as some suggest, a personal attack, Boxer insisted it was not.

"I spoke the truth to power,'' she said. "Condi Rice is in the room when George Bush decides to send 20,000 more of our beautiful men and women into the middle of a civil war.

"And I'm not going to apologize for making an extremely clear point,'' she said.

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/01/13/MNGRQNI8VI1.DTL

[Captain Hilts]

1. It was no big deal. She held herself to the same standard. This is a lot of nothing.

And it was Laura Bush who made the snarky comments about Princess Feragammo not being married or having kids.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. When I grow up,

I wanna be like Sen. Boxer!

"And I'm not going to apologize for making an extremely clear point," she said. SNAP!

[rodeodance]

3. i have to say, this issue is really blowing up.

[PretzelWarrior]

40. no it isn't. it's barely in the news now

and will be gone in another couple of days. Dems need to keep speaking up like this more and more and RIGHT TO BUSH'S FACE with cameras rolling.

[Missy M]

4. Good for her.....

she said nothing wrong and the Neocons know exactly what she meant, not some twisted version they conjured up.

[Sadie5]

8. The right is up to the same old crap

looking for any remark or action the can complain about. Nothing but a bunch of whiney cry babies.

[Roland99]

5. Speaker Pelosi GETS IT!!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. She is spot on

This is no big deal, but is part of the "kill the messenger" campaign. Glad BB is telling it like it is--and not intending to back down!

[countingbluecars]

7. Good to hear.

She has no reason to apologize.

[rurallib]

9. Really pissed me off when Durbin caved in to this fake bullshit

on his remark about Gitmo being similar to historically repressive regimes.
Way to go Barbara Boxer! You were my first choice for president!

[global1]

17. At First Durbin Said He Didn't Need To Apologize - Then He Caved......

I hope Boxer doesn't cave. She was absolutely right as was Durbin in his comments. But it always seems that when it comes down to it that the Dems cave. Kerry is another example of caving - with his flubbed joke. He didn't have to apologize either.

[dansolo]

32. In defense of Durbin

I agreed with Dick Durbin's comments, especially since he was actually relaying a comment that someone else had made. But, if you recall, the big reason why Durbin apologized was because he had members of his own party attacking him, similarly to what happened to Kerry after his botched joke.

[seabeyond]

10. glad she isnt apologizing. it was clear what she was saying and wasnt an

attack on a childless woman, but an attack on a person sending other peoples children to war, be it someone (male or female) without children or a person who knows their children are safe.

NO APOLOGY

[hughee99]

19. Then isn't it basically it's an attack on ALL POLITICIANS

While, yes there are a VERY small percentage of politicians in Washington who do have children in the military, most others know their children are safe. Are their ANY presidential candidates (or potential candidates) who have children who aren't "safe"?

[seabeyond]

23. ok, ... so what. the point is still clear. means one has to think awfully

strongly about committing our military to a war that kills because we will never be in their shoes and experience. it means it must surely be taken with serious thought of consequences. shouldnt that at LEAST be a given by our politicians that make this decision?

[hughee99]

26. I agree on that...

but since this criticism would apply to basically any politican, past or present, it's hard for me to see this as strictly an "observation".

[seabeyond]

27. why? boxer included herself. she has children. n/t

[hughee99]

37. She is and she isn't...

No she doesn't have children, and no she isn't sending anyone to war. Did she make similar comments during Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, hell, even Iraq up until now? She's implying that Rice (and the administration) didn't think long about the war because their children were not as risk, and IMHO this is a false assumption. They didn't think long enough before going to war, because they WANTED the war. It wasn't apathy that got us into war, it was malicious intent. It has nothing to do with them having children in danger. No one in top political positions ever has someone in danger from a war, at least not for many, many years.

[dogday]

11. Republican Mantra to scream about everything

Something is bound to stick... Barbara hold your ground, do not apologize, this is war, literally...

[EFerrari]

12. Thank you, Barbara. I'm so glad you are my senator.

:yourock:

[pdxmom]

13. She has no reason to apologize and I'm glad she's standing her

ground. And no other Dem better come out and try to condemn Boxer for her comments as some seem to do whenever one of these non-issues come up. As a matter of fact, they better step up and support her...I want to hear the Laura Bush comments from People magazine trumpeted loud and long on the Sunday talk shows when this comes up.

[dooner]

14. Excellent response Barbara

Stand your ground. Foxy Republicans will keep trying their tired old swift-boating tricks until people stand by their words
and refuse to back down. Their hissy fits are really starting to look and sound more ridiculous by the hour.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. She has nothing to apologize for. She made a point about herself

and Condi not having immediate family that would be required to make a sacrifice and there was nothing derogatory about the remark. The RW shills are using this much like they used John Kerry's botched joke. In both cases, it was quite obvious that the meaning of the speaker was nowhere close to the "interpretation" that was made by the wingnuts. They are desperate for something, anything, to stir up what little base they have left and take the focus off the real issue: the escalation in Iraq.

[trumad]

16. Truman

Carry the battle to them. Don't let them bring it to you. Put them on the defensive. And don't ever apologize for anything..... Harry Truman

[Hubert Flottz]

18. I love this great lady.

She has been a patriot throughout this entire Bush disaster. I think her heart is in the right place and I was very proud of her the other day, as I watched that exchange between her and Condie. You could see who really did care about the kids being sent back to Iraq for the second, third, or fourth time. Most people served a year in Vietnam and look how many came back with mental problems from seeing and doing the killing back then. Now multiply that times three or four and think about the strain these soldiers are having put on their minds and bodies. The soldiers and sailors in Iraq and Afghanistan, are every one heroes to me. And so are their families here at home heroes.

I always keep in mind, that the soldiers never asked the PNAC, the DoD and Bush to invade Iraq.

[Triana]

20. She had better NOT apologize...

...she had a valid point. That is why (W)easel, Inc. is trying to silence her and make her retract it. Oppression / suppression is their mantra. Boxer should not play on that field.

[bemildred]

21. Offending some people is both duty and an honor.

I hope Boxer pisses them off some more, every day would be good.

[otohara]

22. Yet When Laura Bush Implies Condi Won't Run For President

"shutter the thought" ...... because she's "single" and doesn't have any family....that's OK!

[stanwyck]

24. The Right really shouldn't be giving this story

more exposure, from a public relations point of view. What people hear is Boxer emphasizing that Rice doesn't understand the human cost the same as military families. A perfectly reasonable comment. This is already a huge problem for this administration -- their lack of personal -- immediate -- connection to the troops. The Bush and Cheney families do not have family members in Iraq. Few in Congress do. Frist's sons are too busy posting anti-Semitic rants on MySpacee and partying with their frat boy friends. Jenna and Barbara have been whisked out of the limelight so we'll forget they're of recruitment age.
This gap is starting to wear on the American public. Both Bush and Rice are terrible at portraying empathy. Rice is particularly blithe when discussing the human cost of war.
By flogging this story, the right works against itself.
You'd think they'd realize this.

[specimenfred1984]

25. Rice = Horse-faced sexless monster from criminal hell

Has that quote come up yet? It should.

[malaise]

28. Thank you Senator Boxer

words are wing, war crimes kill people. Fugg Condi Rice.

[StrictlyRockers]

29. I hate how they attack her and try to igonre her powerful message.

What does Condi or Bush have to lose by doing this? What is their stake?

Do they even care about their reputations or spending the rest of their days in infamy?

[Generator]

30. You know it's utter bullshit-Boxer said "immediate family"

Look up the damn clip. Exact words. Not even children or grandchildren, she said Rice has no immediate family. Does immediate family include NOT only children, but of course, husband or wife, then-father, mother, sister, brother? I believe those are our close immediate family. Some would of course include cousins, grandparents,in-laws, or friends-I know I have friends that I consider family as I have some immediate family that I'm distant from.

But immediate family does not mean you are childless. That is what THEY made it.

Besides all that tripe, it's a FACT. Rice has no family immediate or even distant in this war and neither does Bush or Cheney or any of the neo-con Republican elite which was pointed out by Eleanor Clift on the McGloughlin Group last night.

In fact I think the point here is that Bush and Cheney are her immediate family. Certainly what they think and their lives are Ms. Rice's immediate, if not only concern.

[Kadie]

31. Absolutely.

Rice is the one that should be pissed that her own party keeps making a big deal over her being childless. It wasn't Sen. Boxer that brought it up.

Women still have a long way to go. There is always someone ready to point out if a woman decides not to have children, not to get married, or even not to wear make-up.

[Tellurian]

33. Rice is an appointee...

Therefore an employee of the people and our Representatives in CONGRESS.
As in employee, she should welcome and accept criticism if she expects to keep her job.

If she is offended in any way, she has the option of resignation.

So Be IT!

[NiteOwll]

34. It's about time Dems should say

what they think and stop apologizing every time someone criticizes them. Republicons never apologize, so why should we?

[Rageneau]

35. Rather than apologize, we should taunt, "Nyah, nyah, nyah! You can't have babies.

It's OUR turn to behave like the Republic Party and their battialions of pundits.

[Kadie]

39. I'd hate to see us go that far.

"It's OUR turn to behave like the Republic Party and their battialions of pundits."

They have done and said some pretty awful things.

[Imagevision]

36. Rice has talked to a lot of key people and she continues to get NO results...

while the American taxpayers foot the tab to never ending wardrobe replacements

[in_cog_ni_to]

38. She shouldn't apologize. She stated the truth.

WTG, Senator Boxer! Stand your ground.

[kdpeters]

41. If I were Boxer, I would offer an apology if Rice admits she lied to Congress.

When casualties had indeed been estimated by the Pentagon and Rice played dumb, she was lying and she was trying to sweep the price under the rug. I think Boxer's point is evident in the facts. Rice doesn't pay a price and she doesn't take American casualties as seriously as she takes her duty to repeat the administration's crapaganda.