While there has been no shortage of eye-rolling moments since Rod Blagojevich named Roland Burris to replace President-elect Obama in the U.S. Senate, there's no question that it has been the statements from Bobby Rush that have truly taken the cake. From his initial warning about a "lynching," to his incredibly offensive false equivalence:
Well, let me just say this, you know, the recent history of our nation has shown us that sometimes there could be individuals and there could be situations where school children--where you have officials standing in the doorway of school children. You know, I'm talking about all of us back in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas. I'm talking about George Wallace, Bull Connors and I'm sure that the US Senate don't want to see themselves placed in the same position. I know my friend Harry Reid...
... Rush has done everything he can to raise the specter of racism in this tainted process. And when he's not conjuring visions of fire hoses, dogs, and George Wallace, Rush has defended Blagojevich's right, and his duty, to appoint Obama's successor:
Well, I think what needs--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 them being--of him being selected.
...he has the constitutional responsibility as governor of the state of Illinois to appoint.
But that's not what Rush was saying after Blagojevich was arrested:
I believe that the acts that are alleged to have been committed by the Governor are so heinous that he has forfeited his right to appoint someone to fill the seat of President-Elect Barack Obama. My bottom line is that the Governor should not be the one to make the appointment to this important office.
Instead of trying to whip up racial tensions, perhaps Mr. Rush should explain why his bottom line has changed so dramatically in just three short weeks.