Patriotism, Race, and Lies

Americans have always had a certain fondness for the likeable scoundrel, the good-natured swindler, the one who cheats at cards, but only if you are not playing for too much; the one who would sleep with your wife, but only if your marriage was already over or he was certain that you would never find out. It is why so many were always so willing to forgive Bill Clinton: the belief that his cheating was strictly a private affair, and that the lies he told were only to keep the rest of the world from finding out. What we did not know until now was how much lying had become second nature and how willing he was to sacrifice the truth whenever it got in his way.

After Barack Obama inflicted a stunning defeat on Hillary Clinton in South Carolina, the former president, instead of congratulating Obama, reminded everyone that Jesse Jackson had won there as well, suggesting, as it seemed, that the Illinois senator was a minority candidate, a black man, who could never appeal to the white majority without whom no Democratic candidate could hope to win the presidency. In spite of the clear implications of his remarks, denied his comments had anything to do with race, and said that if anyone was playing the race card, it was the other side. Had he really been telling the truth, the sudden production of the unfortunate remarks made several years ago by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright gave him the perfect opportunity to prove it.

It would have been easy for the former president to stop in its tracks the firestorm that now threatens to create a racial divide in the Democratic Party. As someone who grew up in the south when the public schools were first integrated, as someone who frequently insisted that race was the central problem of the American democracy, he could have reminded us that from the very beginning, when a few black Americans first had the chance to speak free of the shackles of slavery, they were forced to ask, with Frederick Douglass in l847, 'What Country Have I?' He could have helped us better understand why Douglass answered that he did not love America and did not have a country, and why it is precisely that initial estrangement that has compelled black Americans ever since to look hard at their country and sometimes give their lives to hold it to the principles of equality on which is was supposed to be based.

Bill Clinton could have explained this, reminded us that the black experience in America is something the rest of us can barely understand, and that what sometimes sounds angry and hateful comes from a desperate desire to be treated fairly and feel that this country is theirs after all. He could, in other words, have done what Barack Obama did, and set about the important business of healing the racial divide in this country. Instead, he talked about how good it would be to have two candidates, his wife and John McCain, who both love their country, running against each other in November.

Patriotism was once called the last refuge of scoundrels. This attempt to link patriotism with race is something far worse It is a calculated appeal to the kind of blind patriotism that threatens to make civilized barbarians of us all; the kind that makes us excuse things like Abu Grahib as the unfortunate excesses of a few without any accounting by those at the top of the chain of command who were supposed to teach others how to behave; the kind that now allows cable news stations to play over and over again the inflammatory remarks of one man in the hope that people will, through guilt by association, blame them on a candidate who not only never said any such things in his life, but provides perhaps the last, best hope to make this country whole again.

It was often been said of the Clintons that they would do anything to win. We now see what this means, and why winning is the last thing that should happen to them.

Comments

[Cowbell5070]

OBAMA LIES IN PENNSYLVANIA AD
From NBC/NJ"s Aswini Anburajan
GREENBURG, Pa. -- The Clinton campaign today accused the Obama campaign of "false advertising," claiming that a recent ad Obama released in Pennsylvania was disngenous because Obama has been the recipient of more than $200,000 from the oil and gas industry.
In the ad, Obama says, "I'm Barack Obama, and I don't take money from oil companies or lobbyists, and I won't let them block change any more."
Obama has taken $213,884 from the oil and gas industry as of Feb. 29th, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Sen. Hillary Clinton has taken $306,813 in that same period.
Two of Obama's campaign bundlers are also CEOs for oil and gas companies, per a list released on his campaign Web site.
Robert Cavnar, listed as a bundler who has raised between $50,000 to $100,000 for the campaign, is the chairman and CEO of Mission Resources Corp., a Houston-based firm. George Kaiser, also listed in the same $50,000 to $100,000 category, is the CEO of Tulsa-based Kaiser-Francis Oil Company.
"It's unfortunate that Senator Obama is using false advertising to explain why he can be trusted to do something about energy prices," Clinton spokesman Phil Singer said. "Senator Obama says he doesn't take campaign contributions from oil companies but the reality is that Exxon, Shell, and others are among his donors."

[jules7212]

HuffPost's Pick

Lawrence - you took the words right out of my mouth. It truly breaks my heart to watch how this has all unfolded and at the same time it disgusts me to see or hear another word from the clintons. Fox/ABC I have no respect for that type of journalism.

You know, I was under 10 years old when I heard MLK speech - I have a dream - but his words have always stayed in my heart and my mind. With the clintons - everyone will remember these past few months and I hope his legacy is tarnished at the very least. I and many americans now see how some of wright's words do speak truth.

[tedbear]

This is a well taken point and well said.
If only everyone who exercises their right to vote had to read this first!

It still amazes me, the "heads in the sand" behavior of the Clinton supporters.

[Disparaged]

You would think that as a former POTUS, Bill Clinton would try to bring this country together in unity predicated on patriotism. But instead he showed us all that he truly was unAmerican and not (as he used to be called) "America's First Black President". Bush told this country that he was a "uniter, not a divider!" What a joke that has become. And Bill Clinton has become a provacator and an instigator. How can anyone have respect for Bill when he clearly deserves NONE!

[trustedcommenter]

The Clintons never were anything but Gov. and Mrs. Orval Faubus II. I will never understand how liberals ever could have seen these two habitual bigots as something progressive.

[Countess]

I hope there are enough democrats with a sense of history and fairness to reject the Clintons use of race in their effort to secure the nomination at any cost. We will see in the next few primaries the kind of values that these democrats really have. The clintons are bringing out the worst in some people so we can only hope that this does not reflect the will of a majority of democrats.

[wingman1]

Well said, that man.