The American Mind

The right-wing outrage over Sen. Barbara Boxer mentioning Secretary of State Condi Rice doesn’t have children is overblown. If Boxer planned to strike out at Rice for being childless she did it in a very mundane, matter-of-fact way. I think the harsh reaction comes from the news coverage instead of the video. The NY Post editorial put the encounter this way:

Rice appeared before the Senate in defense of President Bush’s tactical change in Iraq, and quickly encountered Boxer.

“Who pays the price? I’m not going to pay a personal price,” Boxer said. “My kids are too old, and my grandchild is too young.”

Then, to Rice: “You’re not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family.”

Breathtaking.

Simply breathtaking.

You’d think Sen. Boxer was peering down from her committee seat and scolding Secretary Rice for not procreating. Instead, Boxer, looking a tad frumpy in her glasses with all that grey said, “You’re not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family.” That’s it.

This isn’t a case of feminism taking a backseat. It was just an anti-war, Bush bashing Democrat trying to use a non sequitur toward a cabinet member. Call it “Son of chickenhawk.” Boxer reasons that one lacks the capability to judge the Iraq War if one doesn’t have children who could be drafted (or volunteer) to fight it. It’s the same logic that only people with military experience can justly comment on war. I guess Abraham Lincoln shouldn’t have bothered with the Civil War, Franklin Roosevelt should have left World War II to those who donned the uniform, and all use “fighting keyboardists” should keep our big traps shut.

Greg Tinti has it right:

I’ve watched the video and I don’t think Boxer was trying to take a personal shot at Condi for being single and childless.

Instead, I think it’s fairly clear that Boxer was just trying to tweak the tired liberal meme that argues that people without military service (“Faux Klingons”) aren’t qualified to make decisions concerning the military into a new meme that claims that people who don’t have family members serving in Iraq aren’t qualified to argue in favor of an escalation of the war. Of course, it’s an incredibly stupid argument on its face since following Boxer’s logic to it’s inevitable conclusion would preclude her and many other members of Congress from making decisions about war and, really, anything else with which they don’t have personal experience or won’t be personally effected by.

Enough! Everybody, take off your angry hats, grab a beer, and enjoy the weekend.

“Boxer and the Sonless Presidents”

“The Boxer Rebellion”

UPDATE: Speaking of beer Paula Abdul looks like she had a few too many before going on television.