No, I think you got it closer to the bone in the second post. I was nowhere near as outraged as my reply probably looked (on retrospect). However, it immediately jumped out at me that:

1. Automatically assuming that Rice ought to have some extra-special empathy is the same kind of thinking that gets god-awful ethnic leaders re-elected in Africa (and elsewhere) solely because they purport to represent "their" group and therefore have some secret special connection to what is right for said group.

2. The comment about Bush, Cheney, etc. either slams other who haven't been overtly oppressed as being incapable (or less likely) to have empathy, or it (in a twisted way) lets them off the hook for not having first hand experience. I think that's an unacceptable thing in today's world.

I know you didn't mean for us to read that much into it, of course. But behind what you wrote, that's the sort of hidden message that I saw and didn't like so much.

No argument on the point of Bush/Cheney and others practicing selective morality in the extreme.

I hope I haven't caused too much offense.