Condoleeza Rice

Condoleeza Rice, Born November 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama, she earned her bachelor's degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974.

Her master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981.

She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded honorary doctorates from Morehouse College in 1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, the University of Notre Dame in 1995, the National Defense University in 2002, the Mississippi College School of Law in 2003, the University of Louisville and Michigan State University in 2004, and Boston College in 2006. She resides in Washington, DC.

This brilliant, talented, accomplished woman should be someone revered and celebrated. I am in awe of her. It is hard enough to be qualified, black and female in any white male dominated field, but add the cutthroat world of Washington D.C. politics to the mix, and seeing an African-American woman with her clout is unprecedented.

In addition to being accomplished in academia, Dr. Rice is an accomplished concert pianist.

This woman is better educated and more accomplished than the President of the United States of America. I would rather my daughter be like Condoleeza Rice than anyone else I can think of.

She just rocks.

She is painted as a whore or concubine to The President.

She is afforded no more respect than any other African-American woman.

This is not about her politics.

Surely, it's not about the Administration for which she works.

This is about a woman who grew up in Bessemer Alabama and has more political power than any African-American woman has ever had.

So, why is it ok for her to be painted as The President's concubine, mistress, or his whore.

I didn't hear any whore comments about Colin Powell.

There are nasty tabloid stories and e-mails about Laura telling the President to break it off with her.

This brilliant woman is maligned, why?

Is she criticized more because she is African-American or because she is female?

Is she painted as a whore because she is a African-American female?

Absolutely.

I thought we were done with this, but you have to look no further than the tabloids to know that this battle rages on.

How long will it be before we are all valued? How long before women are seen for what we bring to the table, not what we could do under the table?

How long will it be before we are not objectified?

See how long it takes for someone to say something demeaning about her that would have never been said of Madeline Albright, Colin Powell, Alexander Haig, or Henry Kissinger.

What is it about African-American women that is so threatening?

Why do so many African-Americans have such an issue with her?

If a woman as intelligent, accomplished, and talented as Dr. Rice is reduced to concubine, we are all reduced.

No, it is not just because of G. W.

Imagine what the cartoons and headlines would have said if she was Secretary of State during the Clinton Administration. I can't even begin to imagine.

It saddens me to know that we have not progressed.