Rice? Not so much-- she's worked her way up the foreign policy ladder. Was it a factor? Possibly, but since she's fully qualified, it's hard to complain too much.
Gonzales? I dunno, I think Bush trusts him completely, and that's why he gotten his jobs.
The GOP uses affirmative action all the time, but those two cases are not blatant examples. There are more obvious cases. If the GOP keeps it up, it will be a real "minority" party before too long.
What the GOP tends to do is grab some of the mosst conservative minorities they can find and then act like they represent the vies of the minorities simply because they have a black or hispanic. You think Gonzalez and Rice (or another minority) would have their positons if they were closer to the mainstream views of their race?? Do you think they would have their positons if they were moderate?? They went the moderate minority route already (though Poweel did deserve the position) but they didn 't get the result they wanted (because Powell dared question the adminstratioon) so as long as they can grab a conservative minority they will do so, so they can claim they reprsent minorities as well & reach-out to them, even though the politics of the minorities they pick don't represent te views of most minorities (or even remotley close in some cases)