It was with no surprise that Condoleezza Rice, President Bush’s national security adviser in his first term, was confirmed Wednesday as the new secretary of state. In a Republican-dominated Senate, it’s likely even those who cast the 13 dissenting votes expected the confirmation to pass.

It’s understandable, then, that the Democrats used a confirmation hearing to question Rice on the White House’s policies and actions during the past four years, hoping for answers without the evasiveness that has been so typical of this administration.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., questioned Rice about her public contradictions with statements by President Bush concerning the war in Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, saying at one point during the nine-hour hearing on Jan. 19, “… I just feel, you quote President Bush when it suits you, but you contradicted him when he said, ‘Yes, Saddam could have a nuclear weapon in less than a year.’ You go on television, nine months later, and said, ‘Nobody ever said it was going to be.'”

Rice’s response was a typically evasive word jumble that ignored the issue raised:

“Senator, that was just a question of pointing out to people that there was an uncertainty, that no one was saying that he would have to have a weapon within a year for it to be worth it to go to war.”

Such evasiveness seems to come from the very top of the administration. During Bush’s press conference Wednesday, a reporter referenced Rice briefly in a question about mistruths spoken by the administration leading up to the war in Iraq.

Rather than answer the question, the president used the opportunity to praise Rice and her future performance as secretary of state and said nothing about the months before the war or allegations of misleading the country about weapons of mass destruction.

If Rice and Bush are unwilling to give us straight answers, how can we can trust them in the highest positions of our government?

This administration has a chance next week, however, to prove its openness to both Democrats and the American people.

Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales will face confirmation hearings and will undoubtedly be asked questions regarding his role in shaping policies that may have led to prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

If he — and the administration he represents — is serious about his duty to this country, he will answer the questions fully, honestly and candidly.

That’s not too much to ask, is it?