Rep. James Clyburn: Racial 'code words' used to insult Susan Rice

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Conservatives’ attacks on UN ambassador Susan Rice’s handling of the terrorist attacks in Benghazi have grown so intense, that manyDemocrats have mounted a counter-offensive to salvage her reputation.

Earlier this week, several congresswoman called out Rice opponents like Sen. John McCain for what they considered sexist remarks made at her expense.

“It is a shame that anytime something goes wrong, they pick on women and minorities,” Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, the next chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, told reporters Friday at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Now Democratic leader Rep. James Clyburn is also suggesting there also racial undertones in the criticism of Rice.

“These are code words. We heard them during the campaign. During this recent campaign, we heard Senator Sununu calling our president ‘lazy,’ ‘incompetent,’ these kinds of terms that those of us… we’ve been hearing these little words and phrases all of our lives, and we get insulted by them,” Clyburn said during a CNN interview.

There is widespread speculation that President Barack Obama wants to nominate Rice to replace Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State in his new term.

Sen. McCain, arguably the most outspoken critic of Rice of Capitol Hill, has called her “not bright” and said he will do everything in his power to prevent her from leading the State Department.