Rod Blagojevich and Bobby Rush Play Race Card

In terms of political cynicism, Rod Blagojevich's appointment of Roland Burris ranks at the very top of this year's list. In fact, the brazen game of chicken that Blago has waged on his fellow Democrats, far outdoes the transparent calculus exhibited by John McCain when he picked Sarah Palin as a running mate, or by those few remaining supporters of Caroline Kennedy who seek elevate JFK's daughter to what they see as her rightful perch on Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. While the merits of the other two entries are up for debate, Blago's move can not be seen as anything but a raising of his middle finger at those who once bent to kiss the one that bore his ring. To make matters worse, Blago has upped the ante in his self-inflicted drama by purposefully playing "the race card" as some sort of further dare to Senate Dems and President-Elect Obama.

Of course, Burris, who was the first African American to be elected as state comptroller and to be appointed Illinois Attorney General, and who has been in Illinois politics for 20 years without being convicted of anything, might seem to some like an inoffensive pick to serve out Obama's term. But one only need consider the men pushing Burris to realize that this maneuver is anything but wholesome. Foremost among them is Obama's old adversary, Bobby Rush, who laid bare the ugly motive behind choosing Burris above all other contenders:

"I would ask you not to hang or lynch the appointee while you castigate the appointer," Rush said at Blagojevich's news conference. "Let me just remind you that there presently is no African-American in the U.S. Senate."

True enough. And though our nation still struggles with what does and does not constitute racism (see "Barack the Magic Negro"), we will find no clearer example of the playing of a race card than this. Rush's assertion is simply that, whatever else his qualifications, Burris is needed in the Senate because of the color of his skin. That's no small part of what was going through Blago's twisted mind when stepped to the mic yesterday.

So, the Illinois governor has lived to screw up another day. But with his appointment of Burris, he may be uniting his foes more than he thinks, whatever the color of their skin.