We've known for a log time that Democrats support treating people differently based on their skin color. Now we have some of them on record openly supporting calling people racial epithets as well. From the Washington Times:

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican.

Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.

Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.

But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."

"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

This really needs no further comment. A white Republican senate candidate would never survive making an openly racist statement, and that's as it should be. Senator Trent Lott lost his leadership position for a statement that merely had an implied tinge of insensitivity. For the record, we supported the move to oust Lott at the time.

Kweise Mfume's spokesman has clearly and openly supported racism here. He should be drummed out of the senate race, and condemned with at least as much intensity as Lott received.

Just imagine if racist epithets were hurled at a black Democratic senate candidate, and his Republican opponent said, "there's nothing wrong with stating the obvious" and "it's OK to say racist things about him, because he's a liberal Democrat"? Can you imagine a Republican getting away with that? Can you imagine Republican leaders not being hounded about it by the press, and forced to condemn it? Of course not, it's inconceivable.

Every leader of the Democratic party should be forced to answer questions about this blatant racism. But of course that likely won't happen, because the MSM largely agrees with the Oreo cookie throwers and their apologists like Mfume.

More from Captain's Quarters, Michelle Malkin (who incidentally has experienced this sort of blatant racism from the left first hand), and California Conservative. Also linked at The Mudville Gazette.

Update: Based on this Washington Times article today, it appears that both we and the Washington Times grossly mischaracterized Mr. Mfume's position. First, we mistakenly attributed a quote from Mfume spokesman Joseph R. Trippi directly to Mr. Mfume. Mr. Mfume is quoted today clearly condemning the introduction of race into the senate campaign.

"Racially tinged attacks have no place in this campaign for U.S. Senate," said Mr. Mfume, who has chided his party's lack of support for his campaign. "If they did, I could very well be the object of public racial humiliation, based on my skin color, by people who don't like my politics."

"Black bigotry can be just as cruel and evil as white bigotry. There are too many bigots in too many places," Mr. Mfume said, repeating a common refrain from his speeches.

Credit where it is due; we applaud Mr. Mfume's clear rejection of the racially tinged politics that are unfortunately so common from his party, and apologize for mischaracterizing his position. Now if only the Democratic party at large would follow his lead.