I'm starting a pool...

...Pick the number of minutes after he loses his bid for Senator Mengele's seat it takes Harold Ford, Jr. to squeal "Racism!"

I've got 12.

Knoxville News Sentinel: Baptist leader questions GOP's Ford photo


NASHVILLE — The use of a "dark, distorted picture" of Harold Ford Jr. in a Republican fundraising appeal had racial overtones even if it was not intentionally altered, according to a Baptist ethics leader.

An editorial criticizing the mailer was posted today by Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, on the center's Web site, www.ethicsdaily.com.

Parham said he discussed the issue with both Republican and Democratic party officials after seeing a News Sentinel story last week on the questioned photo and fundraising letter.

Those discussions, he said, left some ambiguity about alterations.
Democratic officials, including state Chairman Bob Tuke, say the picture was obviously altered to darken Ford's complexion and the letter included racial "code words."

Why don't you provide a list of those code words, Tuke? I could use a good laugh. Or is it one of those codes only you can decipher?

Tuke said Tuesday that Republicans in the mailing are "appealing to the basest insticts among some of their constituencies" in soliciting funds.

Chris Devaney, executive director of the state Republican party, renewed his defense of the fundraising appeal and said it was "irresponsible, baseless and reckless" for Democrats to try making an issue of the it.

Ford himself, in response to a question about the fundraising appeal, said he did not want to "dignify it with a response." But Ford said he expects Republicans "to get deeper and deeper into the gutter" because GOP U.S. Senate nominee Bob Corker is "a confused candidate."

"Normally, when you're confused, you do things you regret," said Ford.
Corker spokesman Todd Womack said the campaign had nothing to do with the letter.

Devaney said the original picture came from a Ford Web site, where it appears in color, and was printed in black and white simply to save costs on printing of the fundraising appeal. Printing in color is considerably more expensive, he said.

There's the proof! Only racists use inferior technology and worry about costs!

"I know that nothing was ever intentionally altered or doctored. That is just something we would never engage in," Devaney said.

Parham, in the editorial, says that without regard to alteration, there is still the question of "what would prompt Republican leaders to run such a dark, distorted picture of Ford in their fund-raising letter in the first place.

What would prompt the Ford campaign to put unflattering photos on its own web site? Fire any whitey with access to the site! They must be racist, too, according to Citizen Parham.

"Even if Republicans didn't alter the picture, the picture looked far darker than the one they said they took from Ford's Web site. The only plausible reason to use such a picture is to play the race card — in an effort to frighten and fire up white voters in a key senatorial race," the editorial says.

Silly race-baiting moron. As if dark skinned left-fascist thugs are worse than light skinned left-fascist thugs!

Why, Lenin had hands that looked like they were made of the finest porcelain. Of course, he would have to wash all the blood off for you to see them...

"In the black-and-white world of right and wrong, Republican leaders have flatly done wrong," the editorial says.

"Whether they acted with malice or moral callousness doesn't really matter. The end result is race as a wedge issue," it says.

Instant translation: Even though there is no racism here, the man we want to lose the election is a racist and probably lynches black folks every weekend just for fun.

The editorial says that the matter provides a chance for pastors and other church leaders to go beyond condemning racism and promoting racial harmony "in the abstract." It continues:

"The Ford photograph affords a concrete opportunity for Tennessee's moral leaders to offer a swift rebuke of racism or the appearance of racism in a fund-raising letter. Racism anywhere is a threat to race relations everywhere. Racial reconciliation anywhere advances race relations everywhere."