Posted on 04/11/2004 5:00:27 PM PDT by Chi-townChief
WASHINGTON -- It was during her musings on the sources of terrorism before the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that Condoleezza Rice had her high-drama, "You go, girlfriend!" moment.
A "You go!" moment is the hip-hop generation's version of a big applause line, a red-hot zinger that causes black audiences to bob their heads up and down and erupt with some verbal punctuation like, "That's right! That's right ...!"
National Security Adviser Rice's moment came when former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) asked her how America might best deal with the deeply seated discontent and dislocation that generates terrorist movements in the Islamic world.
Such major transformations take time, she explained, noting that building a multiethnic democracy was a tough slog in our own country. After all, she said, "When our founding fathers said, `We the people,' they didn't mean me."
You go, girlfriend. She has used the line before, but never before such a huge audience or to such great effect. Even in these politically polarized times, it instantly reminds us of two points on which all people of good will should be able to agree: (1) Yes, our democratic republic was founded in an atmosphere of white male supremacy, but (2) the founding fathers provided in this nation's founding documents the machinery for its own self-improvement.
As theatrical politics go, Rice's line struck just the right tone, a tone that was no less important than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accusing his critics of subjecting him to a "high-tech lynching" during his confirmation hearings. With that line, delivered during TV's evening prime time, Thomas shoved aside the prominence of his chief accuser, Anita Hill, who testified earlier that day to a much smaller home audience. Thomas eventually was confirmed by one hard-earned vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Right on but it should be noted for those who might miss it that the Clarence you are talking about in a Page not a Thomas.
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