This is one of the better takes on this that I've read. Feminists have derided this same type of sexism in the entertainment media for decades. ABC counters NBC's "Bonanza" with "The Big Valley." Venerable screen actress Barbara Stanwyck's "Victoria Barkley"  is the matriarchal mirror immage to Lorne Green's patriarchal "Ben Cartwright." Yet episode after episode Ms. Barkley is rescued by a man. But she was ever the supremely confident damsel in distress.

And how often does one of the "Bond girls" save James? Yes, President Obama was doing the classic, "leave the girl alone and bring that stuff to me" line. Here's the problem; it was he who pushed the girl into the street for the gunfight. The White House is the one that threw her in the line of fire and then expresses the typical Obama faux outrage when she draws fire? And given the race baiting pushed by Rice's defenders on Thursday you have to believe her race and gender were factors in putting her out there. As one lib put it, referring to Lindsay Graham and John McCain, (paraphrasing) if two old white guys want to gang up on a young black woman, we'll sell tickets to that. 

And perhaps the primary motive for making Rice the sacrificial lamb was this:

As the president expressed outrage over the atrocity of members of Congress holding administration officials accountable, he said, "I'm happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador? Who had nothing to do with Benghazi?"

Feast on those words for a second:  The U.N. Ambassador had "nothing to do with Benghazi."  At this point, the White House press corps should have flown into a frenzy, demanding to know why a person who had nothing to do with Benghazi was put on five Sunday talk shows as...the face of Benghazi! 

I and others immediately pounced on this. If she had nothing to do with it, why in the hell did you put her out on FIVE Sunday morning news shows!!!! Answer? because she had nothing to do with it, plausible deniability. And if Republicans go after her, ta da! She's a black woman! Put your hoods and crosses away senators! Mr. Obama's only defense thus far in the Benghazi debacle has been (self?) righteous indignation. It's wearing thin.