Poor Uncle Colin

You know, I've never really thought Colin Powell was the "Uncle Tom" type. I am also a non-sterotypically "black" black person, and have bristled at descriptions of Powell not being "black" enough. I've had experience being described the same myself, and have been called "oreo" or "zebra" (or "grey", which I actually thought was kind of funny...) by black people as many times as I've been called worse names by white people that I will not repeat here. I probably disagree with Powell politically on many levels, but I can respect the man for being himself, especially if "himself" is not what he's "supposed" to be.

That's why I'm glad he came out against Bush's profoundly stupid and ill-timed statement on affirmative action.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Calling himself a "strong proponent" of affirmative action, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that he believes race should play a role in university admissions.

Unlike Condoleezza Rice's half hearted "Well, whatever the President said, but I don't really think that, really..." statement:

Rice reiterated Sunday that she supports Bush's position.

"He has made a case that race-neutral means ought to be tried first. And he has, as president, appropriately left to the court the question of what the limits of the Constitution are in pursuit of diversity," she said. "And I think that's the appropriate place for the president to be."

If race-neutral means do not work, however, race can become a factor, Rice said.

Powell took a firm stance, showing that a black person who believes in Civil Rights doesn't have to act like Al Sharpton. You go, Colin. Let your freak flag fly.

Here's a Powell quote from the Republican National Convention in 2000:

"We must understand the cynicism that exists in the black community," he said. "The kind of cynicism that is created when, for example, some in our party miss no opportunity to roundly and loudly condemn affirmative action that helped a few thousand black kids get an education, but you hardly heard a whimper from them over affirmative action for lobbyists who load our federal tax codes with preferences for special interests."

That doesn't sound too Uncle Tom to me.

*Gasp*! Did I just write something good about a Republican????