Those Who Can't Do

Phoning in another of his boilerplate "Democrats are playing the blacks" columns (macro alt+sowell/elder/armstrong), Walter Williams endeavors to make the case for Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State:

First, let's look at a few of Dr. Rice's credentials. She holds a doctorate from the University of Denver. While senior fellow at the prestigious Hoover Institution, she taught courses in Stanford University's political science department. Later, she served as the university's provost. Dr. Rice is a recognized expert in Soviet and Eastern European countries, and she's fluent in Russian. She landed her job as national security adviser not because President Bush was trying to pay off a black constituency and not because Bush had an affirmative-action policy; her qualifications got her the job.

Notice anything missing?

That's right. Any mention of Rice's government service. In either Bush Administration.

Read the whole column. There's nothing else. Rice's credentials are that she's a bilingual academic/college administrator. And that she was selected by Bush.

Of course, this is not an oversight. Any discussion of Rice's accomplishments would necessarily exclude mention of the last four years.

Williams also mentions the strongest argument against Rice's elevation: She would be fourth in the line of presidential succession. That alone is reason enough to oppose her appointment.