Considering that he actually has called it a “white party” in the past (“They all look the same”), does this really constitute news? This has been a favorite theme of his for years, one often expressed in crude terms, occasionally in terms that inadvertently insult the audience he’s pandering to, but always with an eye towards reinforcing the perception that minorities who vote Republican are, to some extent, race traitors. And no wonder, given the assumptions that underlie the left’s read of McCain’s Britney ad. Follow that link and you’ll see I accused some of them of believing conservatives have a 1920s mentality; according to Dean-o, it’s more like the 1850s, which sets us up nicely for that healing national conversation on race Obama wants us to have.

Exit question: We know that Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice “don’t count” for reasons explained above, but what if Powell follows through on Kristol’s rumor and endorses The One? Will that make him sufficiently “authentic” again for Dean? Click the image to listen.