The other night, while I was at a local comedy club, Robin Williams showed up unexpectedly and did his act, a mixture of old and new.  I've always liked Robin Williams, because I think his improvisational skills are unparalleled -- and he was at his best last night when he interacted with audience members and riffed off the things they said to him. 

He was at his worst last night when he decided to tackle the political scene.  Obama is "charismatic" to Williams and apparently too precious to be the subject of humor.  It seems that, in Williams' world, Wright, Rezko, Pfleger, etc., just aren't funny.  However, Bush (stupid), McCain (old), and Republicans (racist) were the butt of a series of really bad riffs.  The personal attacks on Bush and McCain were tired and banal, and I ignored them, but his lengthy shtick about how McCain and the Republicans are going to use Obama's blackness as the way to defeat him was offensive -- especially given the fact that, so far, the only person who's done that is Hillary. 

William's attack wasn't new -- I've already heard about the "anybody who doesn't vote for Obama is racist" line -- but this was so in your face because Williams was, in fact, almost in my face.  I brooded about it all night, and then went home and wrote a post on my website, Bookworm Room.  Admittedly, it's not a very good post -- too heavy-handed -- but I do think Republicans have to attack this racism line head-on and eviscerate it quickly.

It's funny that, as Williams attacked the War and the military machinery, I remembered how truly exemplary he's been about going out repeatedly to Iraq and Afghanistan (something Obama hasn't done), to entertain the troops.  I think of him as a good man with bad politics.