Update: Welcome Instapundit readers. Pull up a chair and stay awhile.

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I may have some comments on Condoleezza Rice’s confirmation hearing later today. In the meantime, see these related posts: Open Letter To A Liberal Columnist and All Condi All The Time. An excerpt:

Democrats think they’ve got a sacrificial lamb in Rice. It’ll be reminiscent of the Clarence Thomas coverage back in 1991. Only this time it won’t be salacious because there’s no sexual element. Then again, you don’t know what those old boys up on Capitol Hill will come up! How black liberal men could allow the indecent treatment of a black woman by white men is beyond me. Very unmanly.

Democrats will do anything to bring President Bush down — including maligning the character of a hard-working, dedicated patriot who has devoted her life to the pursuit of excellence. And they can’t stand it.

I believe white liberals are intimidated by her level of education and achievement, which debunks the claims that blacks can’t get anywhere without their condescending to lower the bar for us poor black folks.

They certainly have no use for a conservative black except to thrust them into the national spotlight on display. Feminists have no interest in a woman unless she’s rich, white, bored and trying to get into a men-only golf club….

Liberals should just be honest and admit their agenda is not about blacks or women or “the poor.” It’s about the propagation of an ungodly worldview by any means necessary. But there’ll be peace in the Middle East before that happens.

Also see Yahoo’s news page.

Update: Now comes the running commentary/rant.

I don’t like Barbara Boxer, and not because she’s a liberal. That can be excused. I don’t like her because she’s a misinformed, envious partisan hack who hates the country that allows her the freedom to run for political office despite being a misinformed, envious partisan hack. I’d like to see Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Boxer in a real debate, not what passes for one in the halls of the United States Congress. Rice would intellectually eviscerate and pulverize her.

Democrats are a minority in both houses of Congress, and Boxer knows it. Her grandstanding on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was nothing more than an opportunity to release frustration about Bush’s victory and Kerry’s defeat. And her envy toward Rice. She called her a liar: “I personally believe that your loyalty to the mission you were given overwhelmed your respect for the truth,” she said. Fortunately for Boxer, Rice remained her calm and dignified self in the face of accusations by an intellectual midget.

“I have never, ever lost respect for the truth in service of anything,” Rice replied coolly. “It is not my nature, it is not my character. And I would hope that we can have this conversation … without impugning my credibility or my integrity.”

Democrats have very selective memories about war and killing. Who among them stood against their savior, Bill Clinton, when he bombed an aspirin factory and other civilians, to knock his sleazy philandering ways off the front pages? I don’t remember one. Now, in the age of terrorism when murderous Islamic thugs cut off heads at will, liberals are defending terrorist prisoners in Iraq (who may have information about potential ambushes on American soldiers) who got their feelings hurt and attacking the Bush Administration for doing its job: protecting the country.

Around the blogosphere: Captain’s Quarters, Crush Kerry, Little Green Footballs, Wizbang, Instapunk, Sisu, The Baron, Blogs for Bush, Terrorism Unveiled, Michael King, Booker Rising, The Moderate Voice, Rightwingsparkle…

Update II: Rice’s nomination for Secretary of State was approved in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a vote of 16-2. Voting no were liberal duds John Kerry and Barbara Boxer.

Rush said the Democrats on the committee were acting like defense lawyers for Al Qaeda.

Update III: The New York Times (reg. req.) has a transcript of the confirmation hearings.

By the way, the Captain is on a roll. He didn’t win Best Conservative Blog for nothing.

Update IV: Check out Right Thinking Girl. Also see more from Blogs for Bush.

The libs nuts don’t want Rice to be confirmed in time for the inauguration.

Power Line finally weighs in on the hearings.