Such a moment happened last Thursday when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has never been a favorite of mine (I have more respect and love for her cousin Constance Rice) was asked about the Rev. Wright controversy during a wide ranging March 28 Washington Times interview.

Believe it or not, Condi had this to say to the editors of the conservative Washington Times:

"The United States still has trouble dealing with race because of a national "birth defect" that denied black Americans the opportunities given to whites at the country's very founding."

"Black Americans were a founding population. Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together -- Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That's not a very pretty reality of our founding."

"As a result, descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that."

"That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today," .

Rice continued on to say that "America doesn't have an easy time dealing with race and added that members of her family have "endured terrible humiliations."

"What I would like understood as a black American is that black Americans loved and had faith in this country even when this country didn't love and have faith in them --and that's our legacy," she said.

Well, well, well. Did she finally remember that she was born in Bomingham, oops Birmingham, AL, and lost a classmate in the Klan orchestrated 16th Street Baptist Church bombing?

Whatever prompted her to make these comments, for once I will give her some credit for honestly saying what's so freaking obvious: Rev. Wright spoke the truth about America's race problems.

It's interesting to note, however, that the hysterical foaming-mouth high-tech witch hunt that has continued to dog Rev. Wright has not darkened Condi's door (pardon the pun) except in Freeperland. The Freepers are in full throated racist rant mode there and have turned on her like rabid dogs. I also note that the media has been strangely silent about this save for CNN discussing these comments on last Friday's Situation Room.

As I have said ad nauseum over the years, the color line predates the founding of this country and infects everything and every aspect of our society. Until we all forcefully and honestly deal with it, America's original sin of slavery and racism will continue to rear its ugly head.