'E's A Clean Young Man

The 2008 Presidential election, still more than 21 months away, is already starting to draw verbal fauxs pas. Today, Senator Joe Biden, on the heels of his announcement as a candidate, spoke to the press at a diner near his Delaware office.

According to a Jason Horowitz story in the New York Observer, Biden's message included criticisms of the leading announced Democrat candidates, mainly Senators Clinton, Williams and Obama. Sen. Biden doesn't think any one of these candidates has a viable plan regarding the ending of the conflict in Iraq. He's conceded by many to be an expert in foreign policy.

While discussing the shortcomings of these candidates, he paused to pay Senator Obama a complement: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," he said. "I mean, that’s a storybook, man."

One is left to assume that all of the other Black Legislators in Washington are none of those things. A few of those I've observed speaking in the House and Senate chambers has led me to agree, at least on their ability to articulate clearly.

Sen. Biden has since apologized to Sen. Obama. I wonder how long it'll take him to get around to apologizing to the rest of them.

It's occurred to many, including myself, that this is a more severe insult than that of Sen. Lott 'pon the occasion of the infamous Strom Thurmond 100th birthday event. But not to any Democrat.

Hypocrisy is not a rare commodity in Washington DC.

I fear for the health of the Republic.

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California