Last year I featured a piece on Democratic Senator Robert Byrd's hateful comment, directed at Clinton, regarding "white niggers." And I am what could be called a "liberal Democrat" though like most Americans I have little love or admiration for any politicians, Democratic or Republican.

In recent papers Republicans have been complaining about a double standard applied to them regarding racism, and Senator Byrd, a Dixie Democrat, is trotted out as an example. "Where was the outrage and the call for censure from the Democrats then?" they cry.

But the Democrats, empty suits that they are, have said very little about Lott's remarks about the "good old days" of Jim Crow. In fact, Daschle, Senate Minority Leader brushed the incident off. Bill Bennett, failed drug czar and self-appointed virtue vulture is quick to toss around the term "double standard" claiming the Republicans have standards and Democrats don't.

But it's the Republicans that see in Lott a threat to their dreams of just-us. And rather than be seen censuring one of their own they seek to deflect the attention crying that the Democrats are oppressing them. Oh, would that they were. I might once again consider voting for one.

The game was up when the Family Research Council threw in their two cents complaining that Lott made conservatives seem racist, when "everyone knows" they're not. The truth is that Lott doesn't rubberstamp the Christian Rite agenda and they hate him for it. They'd rather see an Ashcroft-type conservative take his place and if it takes race-baiting to do it they will.

FRC says Sen. Lott's remarks have caused considerable damage

"But such thoughtless remarks -- and the senator has an unfortunate history of such gaffes -- simply reinforce the suspicion that conservatives are closet racists and secret segregationists."

Boston's Cardinal Law resigned Friday. Mahoney, you're next. Cardinal Law was in charge of the Boston Catholic Diocese which is currently facing bankruptcy due to the scores of as yet unsettled molestation cases against Boston priests under Law's supervision.

This is the first sign that Rome just might be starting to get it.