Yes, I let a headline infuriate me.

In an attempt to wriggle out of the Senate-seat-for-sale scandal hanging over Rod Blagojevich, the Illinois governor's supporters have sunk to a new low by attempting to frame his appointment in racial terms. Blagojevich's announcement of Roland Burris as his appointee while the governor is being investigated for related corruption is enough of an affront to common decency. But for congressman Bobby Rush to suggest that the Burris' appointment should not be blocked because Burris is black is appalling to me:

"I will ask you to not hang and lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer."

"Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate. I don't think that anyone — any U.S. senator who's sitting in the Senate right now — wants to go on record to deny one African-American for being seated in the U.S. Senate."

If I was a U.S. Senator, I would consider it to be my privilege and duty to block such a seating. I would be proud to have this on my record, not because of the color of Burris' skin, but because it simply is the right thing to do. When news of scandal first broke around Blagojevich, it was generally agreed that anyone that he appointed would have a cloud of suspicion over him or her. Mister Rush, the pigment possessed by that nominee should not change this.

I know nothing of Burris and his record, nor whether he would actually make a good Senator. But if he had a sense of decency, he would have turned down the offer and made himself available as a candidate to be appointed in a manner separated from the scandal.

In the year 2008, I reject the idea that certain political offices should be reserved for an individual because of race. Misters Blagojevich and Rush, you ought to be ashamed for attempting to "play the race card" as a smokescreen to distract us from the governor's own integrity issues. Finally, attempting to paint opponents as a lynch mob is misleading and profoundly disrespectful to those who actually lost their lives in real lynchings.

I'd prefer for my blog posts not to stray too often into politics, but this just seems like an egregious case of "not getting it." It made me mad enough to stay up this late and vent. . . .