Senator Boxer Attacks Sec State Rice

Sen. Barbara Boxer verbally attacked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Capitol Hill yesterday during a heated line of questioning with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee looking into Iraq policies.

Boxer:
"Who pays the price? I'm not going to pay a personal price. My kids are too old and my grandchild is too young," Boxer said. "You're not going to pay a particular price, as I understand it, with an immediate family. So who pays the price? The American military and their families."

Apparently, it was to suggest that since Rice did not have any kids or a husband, she did not understand the concerns of military families that do have them.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow:
"I don't know if she was intentionally that tacky, but I do think it's outrageous. Here you got a professional woman, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Barbara Boxer is sort of throwing little jabs because Condi doesn't have children, as if that means that she doesn't understand the concerns of parents. Great leap backward for feminism."

Boxer released a statement:
"I spoke the truth at the committee hearing, which is that neither Secretary Rice nor I have family members that will pay the price for this escalation. My point was to focus attention on our military families who continue to sacrifice because this Administration has not developed a political solution to the situation in Iraq."

Secretary Rice kept her cool during questioning:
"And let me just say, I fully understand the sacrifice that the American people are making, and especially the sacrifice that our soldiers are making, men and women in uniform. I visit them. I know what they're going through. I talk to their families. I see it," Rice said.

Boxer shot back:
"Madam Secretary, please, I know you feel terrible about it. "That's not the point. I was making the case as to who pays the price for your decisions."