But here’s the part that makes me
wonder….
why did he have this moment in front of a reporter from the snarky NY Observer?

Is he that lacking in media savvy that he couldn’t consider
a response that wouldn’t raise calls of racism?

and yes it is offensiveto refer to any minority as articulate. it’s as if the speaker is shocked that someone who isn’t white has a brain, can form complete sentences and run for President.

and yes it is okay to be tired of the
constant contempt that fellow Americans continue to show for their darker hued Americans.

I too sing America
but I’m getting mighty pissed at the casual relaxed racism that is being practiced.

I’m not sure how to post on Wonkette without a gawker login, but I was going to point out that I listed the same people that Obama did in his response, who are the African Americans who’ve run for president to date.

And if “Hymietown” demonstrates anything it’s that holding poisonous stereotypes and putting one’s foot in one’s mouth are not unique to white people.

As Oprah would say, Biden had a “Crash” moment. Lets get over it.

In many ways I feel like Obama is the new Colin Powell – an über-popular black man who scares the shit out of the old fat men who control the Washington Club.

I remember people saying some similar things about Colin Powell when he suddenly got so popular after Desert Storm, and all the white politicians were afraid he was going to run for president.

“He speaks so well!”

“He’s a goddamned four-star general! Of course he speaks well!”

“Well, I didn’t mean anything racist by it, but… He’s just so articulate and intelligent. I would vote for him!”

Chris Rock had a great bit about it.

Even if you use the misquoted version, Biden said nothing about Sharpton not being clean, or Chrisholm not being articulate, unless you believe that they were mainstream candidates, and I’m assuming “mainstream” here means “has a chance of winning the nomination”. Al Sharpton is not mainstream, any more than Dennis Kucinich is, so Sharpton’s hygiene is irrelevant.

OK, I’ll give them the nonracism of choosing Juan Williams for this story. (I liked him anyway, right up until the Iraq war when he said something dumb that I’ve forgotten but that pissed me off.)

I’ve heard it said that by “clean” Biden meant his background/history. whatever.

Molly Ivins passed away yesterday, and I thought of your blog post the other day. She was awfully funny and articulate. For a woman. And so clean.

And I don’t think the call to Williams was racist–I think he’s covering presidential politics these days. For example, he did the big NPR interview with Bush the other day.