In Defense Of Barbara Boxer

US Senator Barbara Boxer was fantastic during the confirmation hearings for Condoleezza Rice.  She wasn't able to turn the tide but she forced another debate over the failed US policy in Iraq.  Margaret Carlson reports in The LA Times that the reviews of Boxer's performance haven't been as glowing as I would have imagined.  "For her trouble, Boxer was blasted — even by those who agreed with her — not so much on substance but on style. Sen. Robert Byrd gets called "irascible." Why can't women get called irascible? It's so much nicer than the other words we get called," writes Carlson.  The people of California did America a favor by re-electing her to another six-year term in the Senate this past November.  I hope she keeps speaking out for reasonable policies in Iraq.  This week she was one of the few Senators with the courage to do so.