"Uh....shouldn't that be: DR. Rice? (vs. "Condi" Rice?) -- Rush's sentiment...and mine too!"
In most places -- and most certainly in the media (AP style, which is followed by ALL media) -- "Dr." is not used unless the person is a medical doctor. I'm sure Rush is quite aware of this but has decided not to tell his audience. There's nothing racist, leftist, or denigrating about it.
I work for a university and we don't use "Dr." for anybody but the veterinarians in our publications. Not even the president (notice the lower case "p"). In fact, most people, including most of the Ph.D.s, think that the people who insist on the title are generally insufferable snobs.