Barack’s Bunkum, or: Why I Love the Internets

The last couple days have seen an uproar in the presidential contest as the campaign of the ever more cagey Sen. Barack Obama (D–Ill.) began laying out a scenario for racial politics. He accused Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Republicans in general of attacks that focused on the fact that Obama is black.

Here’s Obama’s exact quote from yesterday:

“They know that you’re not real happy with them and so the only way they figure they’re going to win this election is if they make you scared of me. What they’re saying is ‘Well, we know we’re not very good, but you can’t risk electing Obama. You know, he’s new, he doesn’t look like the other presidents on the currency, he’s a got a funny name.’ ” (Emphasis added.)

After the McCain camp swiftly and effectively called him out on playing the race card, Obama’s campaign responded by saying he was not making a reference to race in that statement, but rather a reference to his recent entry into politics.

According to The Associated Press, “Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said the senator was not referring to race.

” ‘What Barack Obama was talking about was that he didn’t get here after spending decades in Washington,’ Gibbs said Thursday. ‘There is nothing more to this than the fact that he was describing that he was new to the political scene. He was referring to the fact that he didn’t come into the race with the history of others. It is not about race.’ ” (Emphasis added.)

While clearly not really a plausible explanation, you might be inclined to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. Issues of race quickly turn nasty in politics, and no one should want to scratch at that wound. Who would want to inflame racial passions, after all?

One small problem with that perfectly decent and moral goal, though.

A quick check of the Internet shows that just last month Obama made almost the exact same quote attacking McCain for supposedly setting the campaign up for a racial attack. And that time he was very, very specific that it was about race — and, unambiguously, his race.

“They’re going to try to make you afraid of me. ‘He’s young and inexperienced and he’s got a funny name. And did I mention he’s black?’ ” (Emphasis added.)

So much for the politics of hope. So much for the post-racial candidate. So much for a new kind of politics.

Audacity indeed.