The Race Rap

So, Rep. Cynthia McKinney is trying to play the race card. That's not playing very well, even among her fellow Democrats, who shunned the press conference she attempted to call this past Friday shortly after the incident took place. They need to get this issue out of the way so that they can get back on message (attacking the GOP with the "ethically challenged" meme). Throwing out race and gender discrimination as a spurrious claim to an incident at a security checkpoint in the Capitol building only serves to undermine the message and the messengers.

The Capitol Police deny the charges, of course and Rep. McKinney essentially makes the point that I first made when this story broke:

Police also have said that McKinney was failing to wear a pin that lawmakers are asked to display when entering Capitol facilities.

But she said Wednesday: "Face recognition is the issue .... The pin doesn't have my name on it and it doesn't have my picture on it, and so security should not be based on a pin ... People are focused on my hairdo."

Get rid of the 'courtesy' of permitting Members of Congress to avoid the security checkpoints and require everyone entering the buildings to be searched. Not only does this avoid this problem going forward, but it actually enhances security in the building should someone manage to smuggle items into secured facilities without the Members of Congress knowing.

And in case your sense of irony needed recalibration, this might do the trick: And soon to be former Rep. Tom DeLay (the ethically-challenged one himself) weighed in claiming that...

'Cynthia McKinney is a racist. She has a long history of racism. Everything is racism with her. This is incredible arrogance, and -- that sometimes hits these members of congress, but especially Cynthia McKinney'...

To top that off, he's considering filing an ethics complaint against McKinney. Pot meet kettle.

Yet, on the merits, McKinney surely needs to be called out. Her actions were inexcusable and throwing bogus claims of racial or gender bias into the mix only undermines those who have genuine complaints.

UPDATE:
The Capitol Police chief says McKinney escalated the incident. Michelle Malkin slams McKinney's fellow Democrats, by and large have not stood up for the Capitol Police who are sworn to protect members of Congress from threats. I'm not sure if I agree with her assessment, but that's not what I'm tracking. I'm more interested in why people aren't taking more of an interest in why the police feel it acceptable to not search everyone entering the facilities where they are in charge. I understand that Congress would like the special treatment because it is expedient, but that expediency could get someone killed (and it did in New York City).

UPDATE:
It's going to the grand jury. Lucky us. While a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich, this case has political ramifications that should go well beyond the simple assault case. Other blogging McKinney's ongoing troubles: Mac's Mind and The American Street.