Although Senator Boxer's questioning is getting most of the media attention, the most offensive comments from the whole episode came from Congressman Abercrombie:

Rep. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii called Miss Rice "the most overrated, underperforming individual in executive authority that I have ever seen." "She constantly gets a pass," he told the Honolulu Star Bulletin this week, days before the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Day. "Who knows if the whole question of race and gender come into it, but ... I can't account for it, except to say she isn't up to the mark."

I happen to believe Rice is probably overrated but I don't think race or gender has anything to do with it. She is PR savvy, attractive, likeable, and tends to have a less hawkish outlook than some other foreign policy leaders in this adminstration, all of which help account for her being less criticized in the media than some of her counterparts. Furthermore, she appeared to have less of a role in the lead up to the Iraq War than say Rumsfeld or Powell.

Do you think if a Republican raised the same issues, the media wouldn't be all over him/her? Talking about passes, it seems like Congressman Abercrombie is getting one so far.