Charles R Stith, a Clinton appointee, says that blacks need to vote on the issues and not racial solidarity. In wrapping up his point, he waxes rhetorically:

Finally, while the issue of the lack of black appointed officials in Vermont made for titillating television during the debates, the more urgent question is this: Why after decades of African-American loyalty to the Democratic Party has it yet to produce its own Colin Powell or Condi Rice with the gravitas to realistically compete for the presidency?