Race You to the Finish

You can mark this day down on your calendar as a date that will live in... well, not infamy, exactly. But on this day, the unthinkable has happened. Pat Buchanan, in his column (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_567297.html), has come out in defense of... the Clintons! Well, not in the overall sense, but in the sense of, they weren't really "playing the race card" when they called attention to some problems with Obama and his campaign -- just being realistic. Which is true, if you stick with what they actually said, i.e. literally. Of course, one can't help but wondering if the race card was nonetheless being played, in a "stealth" manner. I mean, hey, if almost anything the Republicans say can be called "code" for racism, then surely we're allowed to hold the Democrats -- and the Clintons above all -- to the same standard. Right? But in any case, and as Buchanan points out, "The Clintons are today victims of a double standard that has long been employed against conservatives." All too true! And seeing liberals hoisted on their own petard is a marvelous thing. The liberals', and Democrats', shock troops, for decades now, have been disgruntled blacks who pour into the streets the minute anyone calls any statement on the part of Republicans or conservatives "racist". But the average white liberal never dreamed that he, or she, would wind up toe-to-toe with a black person in a presidential race. And yet, the "street" is so well-trained, and so finely conditioned, at this point, that it is perfectly capable of turning on its masters -- and that is precisely what has happened. Buchanan also warns that if McCain and his campaign are intimidated by all of this, it's going to constitute a considerable disadvantage for them as well. When anything you say, or do, can be called "racist", and used as a political weapon, what is your defense? In most cases, it's some pitiable whining like, "No, I'm not a racist. Some of my best friends are..." Et cetera. This stands aside other unanswerable accusations, like "anti-Semitic" and "sexist" and "homophobic" (which replaced "homosexual" at some point, but no one can remember when -- for a while there the liberals were using _both_), as blunt instruments of political campaigns, which the liberals and/or Democrats have all earned black belts in. So it is good to see these instruments being used by Democrats against each other -- but Buchanan is warning the Republicans to not get cold feet. Well, lots of luck -- I can actually see McCain being willing to damn the torpedos, but how about the rest of the party? Highly doubtful.