How many “racist acts” must one commit to qualify as a racist? That’s the obvious follow-up question, although Alisyn Camerota never asks it.

Possibly because, after watching the exchange yesterday between Tlaib and Meadows, she already knows Tlaib’s answer. Tlaib does want to call Meadows a racist but was caught off-guard by the vehemence of his indignation at the hearing and very likely shocked when Elijah Cummings spoke up to vouch for Meadows. Normally accusing a Republican of racism is a costless exercise, especially for a young woman Democrat of color. As soon as the prospect of some sort of cost was raised, Brave Rashida ran away.

In fact, the most pitiful thing here is how that reality looms over her repeated trumpeting of her own courage. She had to “speak truth to power” after Meadows asked Lynne Patton to stand while he questioned Cohen, she insists, but in the end she won’t speak what she obviously believes to be the truth about Meadows. She can’t own it for fear of annoying her leadership. Such bravery.

Seven minutes here from CNN’s interview with her this morning. Imagine being handed five minutes on national television to question the president’s former lawyer about his possible corruption and criminality and using it instead to peacock about how woke you are. Exit question: Did Dem leaders coordinate with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez yesterday to have her raise the subject of insurance fraud at the hearing? That’s one way they can justify seeking Trump’s tax returns, to try to verify Cohen’s claim that Trump overvalued his assets. It would be shrewd of Pelosi and Cummings and AOC if they tried to leverage her mega-celebrity by handing that line of questioning to her, knowing how it would get more play among the base and across wider media simply because it came from her.

Update: Oh good lord.

Blow up Twitter: Meadows and Tlaib just hugged on House floor and are engaged in a long, cordial talk.

— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) February 28, 2019