My second ingredient is vinegar.

Well, Bush signed the bill, and added "I don't know what the fuss is about, Dad and I don't give our prize-winning springer-spaniel bitches any say on when and how they reproduce, and they're like, worth something."

Interesting. William Saletan over at Slate is of the opinion Dean got a bum rap over the Confederate flag controversy. He argues that Dean "has used this line all year" and that the questioner Tuesday, and now the public, are simply pouncing on him because he's become a frontrunner. The rest of the news media that support Dean have reduced the statement to a few measly words taken out of context, adding up to a harmless faux pas.

I call bullshit on that. I don't think Dean is a bigot, and I honestly believe his intent was to reach out to poor, white southern voters, but at what cost? Insulting, offending, and alienating everyone else, southern African-Americans in particular? To say that it was incredibly poor judgment on Dean's part is an understatement and neglects the larger issue. For him to proudly announce that he wants to be "the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks" means he either has no idea about the historical use, and true implications of displaying that flag, or he just doesn't care. Either way his attempt to reach out to racists is appalling. As much as I think pulling the Nazi card is a cheap shot politically, I had to agree with Sharpton when he said "...you cannot reach out to people waving a racist flag and say that you want to be their candidate. Imagine if I said that I wanted to be the candidate of people with helmets and swastikas. That is not a big tent strategy."

Let's be honest, had it been the Republican frontrunner, myself and my fellow liberal Democrats would be demanding his head. Rightly so. And although I understand the desire to defend Dean, and I believe he should have the opportunity to explain himself, a huge fucking apology is in order here.

Posted by Antigeist at November 6, 2003 10:30 AM