Do you ever get the feeling that people who have massively exponentially greater amounts of power and prestige than yourself just don't deserve them?
Do you ever get the feeling that their actions have manifested levels of incompetence that simply seem logically incompatible with their degree of success or achieved societal esteem? No, I'm not talking about the failures of Madoff or LTCM.
The following has happened:
The Congressional Black Caucus voted unanimously Wednesday to support seating Burris. Chairwoman Barbara Lee of California said the 41-member caucus plans to send a letter to Senate Democratic leaders calling for Burris to be seated immediately.
It was entirely predictable that this would happen.
Given that it has happened, why would any commentator here want to allege that "race was not relevant" in the filling of this seat?
Why would FPers in general deliberately subject the appointment (not to mention the appointee) to open ridicule?
This was not professional behavior.
The last poll on the direct issue ran heavily (51%-39%) in favor of Burris being seated.
Why was coverage here initially slanted the other way?
EVERY LAST BLACK person in Congress found this a SLAM dunk.
Why did white commentators presume to think it might be otherwise?
Given that it HAS come out that way, why does anyone find ANYbody's protestations that race does not matter here -- EVEN those of Burris and these Congressmen -- to be credible??
Oddly, the first Senator to say publicly what had been obvious to rational agents in this matter all along was Dianne Feinstein, who is deservedly unpopular here for unrelated reasons.
Could we actually have Leon Panetta to thank for this??
Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on the FPers -- Barack Obama is a con law professor (emeritus) -- HE OF ALL PEOPLE simply should have KNOWN better.