Dr. Demented From Under The Hood

I guess Chairman How was feeling neglected lately, so he was compelled to surface and, er, throw his oar into the water:

Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean has told one of the nation's largest black church groups that racism was a factor in the rising death toll from Hurricane Katrina.

Dean told the annual meeting of the National Baptist Convention of America in Miami that the nation must "come to terms with the ugly truth that skin color, age and economics played a deadly role in who survived and who did not."

He's half right - his words are ugly.

He also said the funds that now support the Iraq war could be used to rebuild New Orleans or to aid the poor and elderly.

Ditto the funds poured down the porcine gullet of the highway bill. Or the Medicare prescription drug boondoggle. Or the EPA. Or the Department of Education. None other than Sailor McCain made sounds in that general direction today, although it's probably just another publicity stunt.

Letting this man run around loose to poison political discourse may be to the GOP's tactical advantage, but there's a substantial portion of my psyche (the part attached to my ears) that wishes Dr. Demented would just shut the hell up.

Or, if you prefer Brother Hinderaker's version:

I think the nation needs to "come to terms with the ugly truth" that the Democrats are a bunch of race hustlers whose political self-interest always - always - overcomes any regard for truth or fairness.