I love how the words just casually roll off his tongue, as if he had been saying them all his life.

Which he has. But there is no such thing as black racism, don't you know? Using a racial epithet to describe one's political opponents is accepted behavior. Or at least it must be because the only people saying anything about it are those on the right.

But even at 83, dressed in a blue bow tie and crisp gray suit, Rangel is relentless toward those who he feels are slowing the forces of progress.

House Republicans? Have done more damage to American competitiveness than al Qaeda ever could. "What is happening is sabotage. Terrorists couldn't do a better job than the Republicans are doing."

The Tea Party? Defeat them the same way segregation was beaten. "It is the same group we faced in the South with those white crackers and the dogs and the police. They didn't care about how they looked. It was just fierce indifference to human life that caused America to say enough is enough. 'I don't want to see it and I am not a part of it.' What the hell! If you have to bomb little kids and send dogs out against human beings, give me a break."

Surely there are some good Republicans though, right?

"Chris Christie, who is a big Northeasterner, and people only go for Christie because he is reasonable. He says something nice about the president helping out Jersey and now he is on the hit list by Republicans," Rangel said. "And now my friend Peter King is on their hit list. Peter King, a Republican, is considered a goddamn communist."

Yes - we've got to do something about those bomb throwing, dog siccing, indifferent to human life tea party citizens. Might as well go after Republicans too.

At 83, Rangel is an old man who should have been put out to pasture after it was discovered he was a tax cheat and a crook. No such luck. And neither will we have any luck getting anyone in the media or on the left to criticize the nauseatingly racist remarks he uttered.

Allah asks:

Has America collectively decided yet in the wake of the Zimmerman trial whether "cracker" is an outre insult or not? Usually I'd say it's pointless to ask because virtually no one likely to use it is apt to pay a social or political price for doing so, whether people find it distasteful or not. But when you've got a thousand-term congressional incumbent tossing it around, it's worth half-heartedly floating the question.

Yes, there is a double standard when it comes to race in America. And that's just fine with folks like Rangel.