Defending Russert

Apparently, Tim Russert committed an unpardonable boo-boo on last Sunday’s “Meet the Press”: he asked a black man about another black man. Or so implies the Open Letter to Tim Russert blog. The comment section goes the “letter” one better by repeatedly calling Russert a racist.

Here’s the thrust of the “letter”:

This Sunday, you asked Senator Barack Obama to respond to Harry Belafonte’s remarks about George W. Bush being a “terrorist.” Why?

Why did you ask this question?

Harry Belafonte isn’t an elected official, he doesn’t speak for Democrats, he doesn’t represent Senator Obama, he doesn’t represent the Democratic Party, and he is entitled to his own opinion.

Now, Tim Russert is a busy man and, I would presume, above such partisan frippery. I would have thought that the answer is painfully obvious to anyone who is even marginally aware of the political scene. Apparently, I’m wrong about this.

So, at the risk of offending Mr. Russert by pre-empting his answer, let me suggest one pretty darned good reason.

Russert asked Obama because Obama’s a leading Demcoratic voice and a potential running mate for his fellow Senator, Hillary Clinton. You might recall that Obama defended and supported Clinton’s egregious “plantation” remarks last week.

What you might not know, though, is that Belafonte spoke at the same event as Clinton that day and proclaimed, among other things, “I don’t know if Pres. Bush is the greatest terrorist, I’ve not met them all, but he’s damn sure in the running…” and “…terror is unleashed. The Gestapo is here.” Last week’s event was the second time in the month that Clinton and Belafonte appeared on the same playbill.

Clinton also seems to make a habit of appearing in the same forums as Belafonte on the same day. Project 21 notes that Clinton spoke after Belafonte in September 2005 after he accused the President of “making a wreck of the planet” and said that what he said “…is so important”.

I’ve yet to see Clinton repudiate any remark Belafonte has ever made, even though Belafonte continues to appear with her at event after fundraiser after event. It’s true, as the letter says, that Belafonte isn’t an elected figure, but it is an outright lie to say that he doesn’t speak for the Demcoratic party. He lends his voice and his opinions to bringing money into the coffers of the left and its friendly causes by invitation. If Democrats don’t want to have to answer up for Belafonte’s particular insanity, they should make sure their bright star doesn’t praise those rants from the same stage.

As Clinton’s most public defender thus far, Obama ought to be asked about the statements Clinton refused to repudiate. Since he came to her defense, he ought to have to explain why he remained silent about Belafonte, though they spoke hours, or less, apart from each other. As a leading Democrat, he bears responsibility for his party’s use of Belafonte to rake in the campaign cash.

That, dear disingenuous letter writer, is why Tim Russert asked Barack Obama about Harry Belafonte.

(h/t to Hotline’s Blogometer)

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Category: Moonbat Nonsense, Political Pontifications