rod03801: I think there are those here that simply took an opportunity to make a non issue an issue. I agree that it is an offensive word. But that was the point. It was being argued that the Democrats racial past was just that, past. But that's not the case. Robert Byrd, who just passed away, used that "N" word in a recorded interview. This interview was RECENT.

LBJ said that he'd get the blacks to vote for democrats by giving them political favors/concessions etc. And when Blagojevich was considering what to do with the open Senate seat, he was recorded as saying that he should choose a black candidate as that would appease black voters. It's worth noting that Blagojevich is from the same political machine that Obama came out of.

Something about an apple not falling far from the tree comes to my mind.