I take your point Jim, and I anticipated your objection. But I'm going to stick with "race-baiting" in this instance, because -- correct as you are in your parsing of my terminology -- I think this is another attempt to paint the president as literally un-American in a way that doesn't generally happen with white politicians. (Democrats are often painted as "surrender monkeys" and "too French" on terror issues, sure, but how often is it suggested that they're actually, literally in league with radical fundamentalist terrorist Muslims? Not often.)

Not all -- or even most -- criticism of the president is racial in nature. While you're correct that Islam is a religion and not a race, I think that many and maybe even most Americans tend to conflate the religion with certain non-white races. I think it's a little silly to pretend otherwise. So while "Muslim-baiting" might be a more narrowly accurate description of Gaffney's efforts, I don't think the racial element here is all that hidden. I can take my lumps for being imprecise on this one.

Why let accuracy get in the way of a good slur against someone you don't respect, like Gaffney. Much easier to just throw out "race-bait." Not honest, though. But that's your choice.

You can try to justify it all you want by remotely burrowing yourself into Gaffney's brain and divining what he really meant by what he said — even though he didn't say it. And you may think that is all the support you need to justify hurling the most damaging accusation possible in American society at a public figure like Gaffney.

I think it's dishonorable.

I like Jim's substitute headline better: "Breitbart 'Journalism': Letting Gaffney Push Obama's a 'Secret Muslim' Lie." I think that captures the nut of the post, Joel. You (or Rywalt) no more know whether Gaffney is motivated by racially-motivated suspicion (crypto-, pseudo-, quasi- or otherwise) of Obama than Gaffney knows Obama's administration is in thrall to Shariah law. Anyway, the origin of the "secret Muslim" nonsense has less to do with Obama's skin color than his parentage and early upbringing in Indonesia. Let me put it another way: The distinction between race and Islam has been too easily muddled and confused in the discourse, and you aren't helping clarify matters.

Now, on "race-baiting" versus "race-hustling." Just so everyone is clear, I'm the guy who applies the term "race-hustler" to the likes of Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and their lesser ilk. I will continue to do so until they're dead or I am. A race-hustler is in the business of stoking racial differences for some sort of benefit, usually monetary but not always. The description fits Sharpton, et. al., perfectly.

You might have heard about the recent hullabaloo at UC San Diego. I'm trying to finish a post I started the other day. I sympathize with the black students there, I deplore the idiot fraternities, and I wish the editor of the Koala would fall down one of La Jolla's inviting cliffs. But I really, really detest the opportunists who've emerged from the woodwork to make hay of the issue, from the political hacks in the state Legislature to the ethnic studies professors to the NAACP. Hustlers all. And I have special loathing for the student government, which is using the controversy as an excuse to censor unpopular and even crude speech. They're hustlers, too. But more on that -- perhaps -- later.

That said, I don't for a moment think you're dishonorable, and I think that's a poor line of argument to take. This is touchy, emotional stuff -- and difficult to discuss in any real dispassionate way. I don't think we should be trying to divine motives; I'd prefer we argue ideas and their consequences.

To sum up: I wish Gaffney hadn't written that post in the way he did. I wish Joel had written a better headline. I wish Jim hadn't questioned Joel's honor. I hope we can let tempers settle a bit and get back to doing what we always do.

that missile defense logo thing is nothing if not reminiscent of a re-booted Trek insignia.

Damn you, J. J. Abrams!

"There's a reason we don't quote Hitler when we discuss highway spending. It just puts too much noise into your signal." Joel, 2010

Just another example of high-in-mighty liberal thinkers convinced the most Americans are just plain stupid. Ergo; only they can save us from ourselves with government control and take over. Now of course I just have a job, pay taxes, support my family and pray; but I don’t know anyone that associates Islam with being black or racially inclusive at all. Don’t you people live in this country or talk to people who aren’t ego-canonical journalist. We also understand that all Christians aren’t white and that all Jews aren’t greedy rich men. I realize that the elitist ideological cocoon limits both traitorous left and dangerous right understanding and that rabid support of the agenda presumes common national idiocy but come on guys. It obvious how little the “media” thinks of those they are suppose to inform; yea, right…inform!