It appears I am not the only one to take umbrage at Obamas (aka Black Bart) race-baiting last week.  Indeed the outrage covers the spectrum.  Where I first heard the remark was, of all places that, the most entrenched of all bastions of liberalism, NPR, from Scott Simon who, after noting that John McCain has never raised race as an issue, admonished Obama and asks the key exit question:

“Can someone raise questions about the experience of a candidate who’s only been a US Senator for four years and who does not have a prodigious legislative record without being stained as a bigot?” 

Great question and it means even more coming from him.  Problem is I don't see anyone from either side stepping up to answer it.    

Lee Carey over at American Thinker offers a response for McCain.  American Thinker is a daily visit site I cannot recommend highly enough btw.  His thesis is that McCain should not only not let the remark pass without a rebuke but that rebuke should be with both barrels.   He's not wrong. RTWT It's Time McCain Picks Up The Glove

A tidbit; 
"Senator Obama's statement at a Jacksonville, Florida fundraiser last Friday is being heralded as a brilliant political move by many in the MSM.  It was, in fact, a shameless and unjustified insult to all Republicans, and all Americans."

I'm not sure why the outcry isn't louder, either playing the race card so brazenly is what we expect from Obama so it's not newsy enough, or much like the phenomena surrounding the last black candidate, Bill Clinton, the press is too awestruck by his political guile and lovestruck by his charisma to think or analyze critically.  

The media has changed a lot since they paved the road to the White House for Clinton.  With you tube, blogs, continuing strength of talk radio, and new found strength of cable news the scrutiny has intensified.  It will take spin of more than clintonian proportion for this candidate, regardless of his political gifts, to continue to fool most of the people most of the time, or at least long enough to win.
 
In the meantime there is absolutely no reason for McCain to help Obama by letting accusations of racism go unchallenged.  It is not as if the lack of rebuke is admission of guilt, but if no one challenges a smear like this why would a casual observer not take it at face value?  The very least McCain could do would be to say the charge is so ridiculous it is not worthy of a response, but no response at all is to cowardly throw in his hand when the race card is played.

One would think a man who holds the concept of honor so dearly, Senator McCain, would be a bit more pugilistic in it's defense.