I'm not as surprised as Mr. King, as the NAACP has come to all kinds of people's defense, without regard to political persuasion.

Ehhhh...they're getting better, but generally, the NAACP has picked their "side" of the seesaw, no matter how nonpartisan they claim to be.

The NAACP is sadly irrelevant. Unlike most black conservatives, I DO think we need black organizations. Mfume has blown it, and Bond is a certified Uncle Tom in my book.

I'm referring more to the low profile cases and opponents they've taken on down through the years, not the stuff that makes the headlines. Police issues, corporations that have exercised biased practices, hiring cases,folk terminated from their jobs for things such as "ethnic" hairstyles. They don't ask the prospective defendant what party they are.

Why are you surprised that even people who disagree with Rice don't want to see her be the focus of racially motivated slander? I disagree with her pretty strongly, and don't care for the job she's done, but I can make those criticisms without feeling the need to attack her inappropriately on the basis of her skin color.

There are things it just isn't right to say, even to people you disagree with. For me, that perspective fits quite comfortably in a liberal value system.

Well Natasha, the reality is that there are a lot of people who espouse the liberal value system that don't agree with you. There has been for a long time, a blind eye turned to bigotry when its addressed to people of color on the Right side of things...

Tae, care to clarify what nail was hit on by what head? It's all a bit unclear...

What Natasha is saying is correct, however, "her people" don't always agree with her, and that is the issue at hand. Bijan, you are right that on the local level, the CANAP (collectively achieving nothing and proud) is doing more for smaller cases on the local level, but all in all, they don't have a very good track record for speaking out on topics such as this.

And, it should be noted that they were a day late and a dollar short in saying anything. Mulling it over perhaps? What is there to mull?

Allow me to inflame the argument by stating that Julian Bond in my opinion is a jerk, but he's not an Uncle Tom. Isn't that what started the whole thing?

I wonder how many people who go around calling folks "Uncle Toms" have actually even read the book. I did not see Uncle Tom negatively, I felt he made very difficult decisions, but he loved the people he made sacrifices for, which were also the other slaves. I don't condone what happened to him at all, but I have yet to understand why the character is generally referred to negatively.

I'm surprised the NAACP stood up for Condi, I really am, I don't have much faith in the decidedly left leaning organization these days. I'm glad they did take a positive stand. The attacks on her were uncalled for, and definitely displayed a lack of intelligence. Attack her policies and ideas, but leave the school yard name-calling out of it.

It would be nice to be able to discuss race without so many personal attacks and slurs. I typically avoid the subject on internet message boards, people are too quick to spew hatred and bile when it's not a face to face conversation.

We all should be offended when a stereotypical term is tossed at anyone much more when the target is an example of an American success. We all should agree that racial quotas are wrong for everyone, yet affirmative action DID play a very big part in access to the American system for blacks, women, etc. The mistake that was made is the reliance on that programme as a way to advance, just like a business that is given economical incentives such as tax breaks or grants. If the existences of the program is necessary for the continued success than the programme is a failure. The same planning should be applied when the goal is true equality. The step that the supposed national black leadership failed to make in the 70's 80's and 90's is to require a high level of education of the masses. The correlation to higher drop out rates can be traced back to the fourth grade. If educational excellence is not goal it will be rarely achieved. The day the NAACP challenges the NEA and parents for solutions to the poor state of education, I will find great pleasure in paying dues to the organisation. The "No Child Left Behind" Legislation's requirements should be the minimal that each community looks to attain. The nature of the causes of equality (the purposed intent of the NAACP) should be neither Republican nor Democratic, but to find solutions. The wasted time on saving the little-success programmes of affirmative action does nothing to help the masses of under-educated American youth, black, brown, or white, while the rest of the world's nations eagerly send their best and brightest here to succeed. Every section of America has an interest in the success of the others. As the US Olympic Men’s Basketball team has proven, hard work triumphs all else, while the lack of it is an invitation of defeat.

I believe that the NAACP has made it painfully apparent that the "mission creep" they have suffered in the last 20 years has left them as only a group of black people with a political agenda. It's unfortunate that their mission no longer has anything to do with the "uplift" of black people.

That being said, the NAACP should be credited for coming to the defense of Dr. Rice. As I commented earlier, this behavior will continue until "bull****" is called. Unaceptable behavior will continue as long as we as a society allow it.

Until the NAACP acts as an agent for all that is good, REGARDLESS of color, we have not acheived racial harmony. I pray for the day but I won't stop breathing in the mean time. It's unfortunate that an agency with such noble beginnings is now ruled by people who use their rectum as a hat.

Anyone can do something politically expedient once.....I will be looking for habits, trends from this "non-political entity". Supposedly. I was born AT night Kwesi, not LAST night, you bum.

Let's see what you say when she starts talking about the ORIGINAL affirmative action Executive Order (11246?) from 1964 or 65........the one that says EVERYONE gets equal treatment - even if they're WHITE!!! (Imagine that?)

Yes, the same one that came about 5 years before liberals realized negros got stupid, thus needing lowered standards.

Okaaaaaay, they were lowered because - due to decades of segregation & less educational opportunties - the pool of qualifed applicants was slim to none................but it was only supposed to last for a decade.

That would be 10 years, liberals, which the basic liberal slippery slope has turned into eternity for us mentally deficient blacks. (See, I'm admitting my status as a mental defective with the intelligence quotient of a 7 to 10 year old - a stinking moron.)

So, Kwesi, let's see you support her then!! Yeaghm, when she advocates blacks having to stand on our own two feet, no excuses...........you punk.

Good for him, and good for the organization. If the NAACP can be seen as an honest broker, and not in the hip pocket of the Democrats, it's more likely that real progress can be made, working with all sides.