Even where quotas have been approved by court ruling as a remedy for previous racial discrimination, two different standards have not been permitted, Williams said.

Muriel Morisey Spence, director of policy analysis at the Office of Government, Community and Public Affairs, said she knows of no documentation of different standards under affirmative action.

"I would love somebody who takes that position to prove it," said Spence, who previously decided employee discrimination cases for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Responding to Williams and Spence, Loury said in an interview that "no one will come out and say to you `we are using different standards."' But, he said, the pressure to employ the "correct" numbers of Blacks sometimes results in different implicit standards.

Several Black officials said that Loury is applying academic standards to race-related proposals without testing to see if people support his ideas.

"Leadership involves more than coming up with an idea and having it debated," Williams said.

"If he's serious about what he's saying--that there needs to be a new leadership--the only way to test that is to see if people buy the new idea. And I don't think he's done that," Williams said.