California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer seem to have a personal battle going to see who can be more arrogant, mean-spirited, and out of the mainstream. As with the judicial filibuster session held last Congress, Boxer has trumped Feinstein again.
The Democrat went to a new low, even by her standards, during her grilling of Condi Rice yesterday. The lowlight of the day was the following Boxer quote:
“Your loyalty to the mission you were given, to sell this war, overwhelmed your respect for the truth,” Boxer said.
The picture of grace under pressure, Rice proved to be too much for the likes of Barbara Boxer.
Rice fired right back by stating that she wasn’t going to sit there and allow Boxer to attack her integrity. Rice appeared assertive and strong but far from combative or offensive. She simply called Boxer’s attack for the out-of-line grandstanding that it was, and Boxer was caught off guard. In that one brief exchange, Boxer looked like the bully who couldn’t believe he had been hit back. It was a pathetic sight.
I doubt this is the type of publicity that Boxer wants. All the news clips show Boxer’s constituents that she is someone willing to attack a public servant — on grounds far out of bounds — for her own personal reasons. If California wishes to have another Democrat take her place in the Senate, so be it. I just hope they’ll elect someone with a little respect for the way our government works. To accuse someone of Rice’s stature of lying to “sell” the nation on a war is just unforgivable. Boxer didn’t act like a judge or juror, trying to gather information to help her with her vote, but rather as a litigator looking to “hang” her opponent on a statement:
At one point, Sen. George Allen, R-Va., protested that Rice was being cross-examined, which led Boxer to interject, “I don’t agree this is cross-examination, this is our job.”
If this was a cross-examination, Barbara Boxer’s legal skills could use a tune up. I’ve seen more effective crosses from high school mock trial teams.
More:
Is Boxer a ‘moron’?
Wizbang
Blogs for Bush wants them to keep playing the footage.
OTB’s Beltway Traffic Jam
Nathan Novak at 10:51 am
