Barbara Boxer Set to Throw More Punches

If you thought Barbara Boxer was merely treating us to a one-time grandstanding display when she slandered Dr. Condoleezza Rice during her Senate confirmation hearings, think again. The Washington Times has a mini-profile of the pint-sized pugilist in today’s edition. You will recall that Boxer virtually accused Dr. Rice of lying about Iraq.

When so-called “New Democrats” think that all they have to do is to tweak their party back toward a strong defense posture, or Howard Dean thinks all the party needs is to recast its platform in terms of “values,” we know they’re delusional. As long as Democrats lap up displays like Senator Boxer’s they won’t be gravitating toward the mainstream any time soon. One Democratic “observer” said of Boxer, “It’s just Barbara being Barbara. I admire her. I think she has a lot of guts.” In other words, “We here on the Democratic side is the aisle admire the radicals among us — that’s why we encourage Mrs. Boxer and elevate Howard Dean.” Seriously, who do these people think they’re fooling?

The Times article reports that Boxer’s assault against Dr. Rice is only the beginning. Says the Times:

Expect more fireworks from Mrs. Boxer in the coming months, as political issues heat up –especially the prospect of the Bush administration’s having the chance to nominate not one, but two Supreme Court justices.

So, far from chastened, Boxer likes the attention she drew by being disrespectful toward Dr. Rice and she intends to employ the technique to President Bush’s court nominees. And be assured, she’ll find ample excuses in the paper trails of any nominees the president serves up to justify her rude behavior.

Only one sentence in the Times article threw me a bit. It reads:

Still, Mrs. Boxer is viewed as left of the left. Pro-abortion, pro-homosexual rights and a staunch environmentalist, the liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave her 2003 voting record 95 out of 100 points.

My only quibble with this is that almost every Democrat is pro-abortion, pro-homosexual rights and staunchly environmentalist. That’s hardly extreme, but mainstream if you’re a Democrat.

I just hope President Bush appoints judges with strong enough constitutions to withstand the onslaught that is guaranteed to hit each of them squarely in the face. Tell me, did Republican Senators treat Democrat presidential nominees so disgracefully? From the moral equivalency crowd you’ll hear a reflexive “yes,” to any such questions. The answer is, “No.”