Poor Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. You try to pander to the racial grievance crowd while portraying yourself as a champion of diversity, and some people won't give you a break!
Blagojevich finds himself at the center of a controversy over his August appointment of Nation of Islam official "Sister" Claudette Marie Muhammad to serve on his Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes. Muhammad invited fellow commissioners to broaden their perspectives by joining her at a Feb. 26 speech given by National of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who, incidentally, is well know for his disparaging remarks about Jews, whites and gays. At the speech, Farrakhan was in characteristic form, hitting the trifecta with references to "Hollywood Jews" promoting homosexuality and "other filth." Four members of the commission resigned last week rather than serve with Muhammad.
Standing her ground, Muhammad (who serves as Farrakhan's chief of protocol) says, "For those who try to condemn me because of the honorable Louis Farrakhan's remarks on Saviours' Day, which were perceived by some as anti-Semitic, it's ridiculous." Apparently, Farrakhan wasn't condemning all Hollywood Jews-get it?
For his part, Blagojevich has condemned Farrakhan's remarks as
"deplorable, hateful, wrong and harmful," but says he won't take
any action against Farrakhan's loyal defender on his own bias
commission because that would be "guilt by association," and no
doubt reckoning the number of upset blacks vs. gays and Jews in his
re-election calculus.