This Issue has Nothing to do With Race, Mr. Rush

Bobby Rush is a former Black Panther, and today he lashed out at critics of the choice Rod Blagojevic made yesterday in naming Roland Burris as his appointment to Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat. According to Mr. Rush, anyone who disagrees with the appointment is a racist on par with Bull Connor and George Wallace and that includes members of his own party:

MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Yesterday we heard you say they shouldn't hang and lynch the appointee to punish the appointor. But do you believe this is the way the only African-American senator should be seated, tainted rightly or not by a scandal, and against the objections of most of his own party?

BOBBY RUSH: Well, let me just say this. You know, the recent history of our nation has shown us that sometimes there can be individuals and there can be situations where schoolchildren, where you had officials standing in the doorway of schoolchildren. I'm talking about Orville Faubus back in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas. I'm talking about George Wallace. Bull Connors [sic]. And I'm sure that the U.S. Senate don't want to see themselves placed in the same position.

RODRIGUEZ: But it's not just the Senate, congressman, it's Barack Obama, who is African-American, also, who disagrees with this.

RUSH: Well, I think that what needs to happen now is that all these folks who are opposed to Governor Blagojevich, they need to take a chill pill. We're still a nation of laws. And I believe that Roland Burris and Governor Blagojevich, they're on solid constitutional grounds in terms of him being selected. I think the U.S. Senate will have to accept him.

I should note for readers that this is not the first time Mr. Rush has played the race card. (A tip of the hat to Allah @ Hot Air for that link.) While Mr. Rush is correct in stating that the Senate will have to seat him, comparing the outcry of his appointment to racists of the past is a bit overboard.

The criticism of the choice is not directed at Mr. Burris, but rather towards Governor Blagojevich for the brazenness of his choice. Senator Reid stated when the scandal surrounding the governor broke that any appointment he made to the senate would be rejected as being tainted by the corruption scandal he is embroiled in right now. But that is hardly a reason to refuse to seat Mr. Burris. He meets all qualifications for the seat in the Senate. He is not indicted, nor is he under any criminal investigation. There is no legal standing for Senator Reid to refuse the appointment unless he would like to continue looking like a fool.

But Mr. Rush is flat-out wrong to level that attack at anyone in opposition to the appointment. We could possibly -- in a convoluted way -- see the accusation having merit if the people criticizing the choice was raising the stink over Mr. Burris, but they are not.

They are attacking Governor Blagojevic. If we were in Mr. Rush's shoes, we would shut out yap before inserting the foot farther down the throat. This accusation shows him to be rather foolish, and obviously not as knowledgeable about this appointment as he thinks he is.

Marcie