Fairly Unbalanced

In order to demonstrate that we here at LLatPoN are truly fair and balanced, I'd like to turn from our regularly scheduled Republican bashing to bash a fellow Democrat.

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-You Wanna Piece of Me?!?) raced through a security checkpoint without her ID pin, ignored calls to stop, and then struck an officer who grabbed her arm to stop her. And now McKinney has taken to the airwaves decrying this incident as evidence of racial profiling, which is about as pathetic as Tom DeLay's insistence that he's a victim of "the politics of personal destruction." (Actually, it's worse. Racial profiling in this country is a real problem, and McKinney's crass appropriation of that issue only trivializes the very real complaints of others who, unlike her, really did do nothing wrong.)

This is just the latest in a long string of hyperbolic grandstanding and downright stupidities from McKinney. I was thrilled in 2002 when the primary voters in the Atlanta area threw out both McKinney and her Republican counterpart, Bob Barr. Stunningly, in the time since, Barr has emerged as a voice of reason on the government's overreaching, while McKinney has returned to power and stepped up the batshit crazy to all new levels.

For once, I'd like to applaud the Democratic Party for leaving one of their members out to dry:

Democratic leaders did not defend McKinney or her charge of racial profiling. "I don't think any of it justifies hitting a police officer," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. "If it did happen I don't think it was justified."

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said all lawmakers, staffers and visitors in the building have a responsibility to obey Capitol Police. "I think we all should cooperate fully," he said.

Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, had no comment, a spokesman said. ....

The lack of Democratic support for McKinney is notable. She and her lawyer, James Myart Jr., said on Friday they expected several members of Congress to join her at a news conference that day at Howard University. None did.

Unlike the Republicans and conservative pundits, who are rallying around Tom DeLay like it's the final reel of "The Passion of the Christ" -- see here and here and here for quotes that will blow your mind -- it's nice to see the Democrats shun the nutcase in their midst. Because if the Democrats are truly going to clean house this fall and sweep out the remnants of DeLay's regime, they need to be willing to sweep out the crazies and corrupt politicians on their side of the aisle as well.