On the March 28 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, CNN host Lou Dobbs criticized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's March 28 statement that, in Dobbs' paraphrase, “the United States has a birth defect on the issue of race.” Dobbs said: “I think it's really unfortunate that Secretary of State Rice believes as she does. The fact is most Americans don't have a problem talking about race. What we have is a problem of talking about race without fearing recrimination and distortion and someone using whatever comments are made for their own purposes -- usually political purposes.”

Talking Points Memo and Think Progress posted video of Dobbs' comments on their sites.

Rice's full March 28 interview with The Washington Times is transcribed here.

From the March 28 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:

WOLF BLITZER (host): Let's check in with Lou. He's got a show coming up in an hour, but I want to pick his brain on some intriguing comments from Condoleezza Rice involving race in our country. You saw what she said.

DOBBS: I saw what she said -- that the United States has a birth defect on the issue of race. I think it's really unfortunate that Secretary of State Rice believes as she does. The fact is most Americans don't have a problem talking about race.

What we have is a problem of talking about race without fearing recrimination and distortion and someone using whatever comments are made for their own purposes -- usually political purposes.

The reality is, this is the most socially, ethnically, religiously, racially diverse society on the face of the Earth. Now, Wolf, we don't make enough of that in the national media; we listen to some idiot say you can't talk about race or there ought to be these responses when you talk about race or ethnicity. And too often, in fact, nearly always, we fail to point out that there is no country on the face of the Earth as progressive, as racially and ethnically diverse as our own.

It's something for us to be proud of. And if any -- and to hear a politician, whoever it may be, talk about how difficult it is to talk about race, well, the heck with it. We're living with the issue of race. We've got to be able to talk about it, and I can guarantee you this, not a single one of these cotton -- you know, these just ridiculous politicians should be the moderator on the issue of race. We have to have a far better discussion than that.

BLITZER: Lou, we'll see you back here in one hour. Thanks very much.

DOBBS: You got it.