Rather Explains His Watermelon Comment

...in a column at The Huffington Post.

"...I was talking about Obama and health care and I used the analogy of selling watermelons by the side of the road. It's an expression that stretches to my boyhood roots in Southeast Texas, when country highways were lined with stands manned by sellers of all races. Now of course watermelons have become a stereotype for African Americans and so my analogy entered a charged environment. I'm sorry people took offense.

But anyone who knows me personally or knows my professional career would know that race was not on my mind...

...I can understand why someone who just happened upon my comments could take offense or want clarification. But what has caused this comment to "go viral" is the trumpeting of an online and cable echo chamber that claims the banner of news but trades in gossip, gotcha, and innuendo. Furthermore, even for those who brook no prejudice, when everything is condensed to 140 characters or a small YouTube clip, many people who got this "news" did so without any context, just a headline that popped up on their phone or inbox."

Sorry Dan, but this isn't the 60's, you've been on the national scene for 50 years now, and times have changed. I'm not calling you a racist, but was you said was perceived as such, as you well know. Your comment going viral was not the fault of an "online and cable echo chamber." Had you chosen your words more carefully, you wouldn't be explaining yourself.

Still, I can't help but wonder if the "selling watermelons" analogy would have been used had the President been, you know, white.

But It's Not About Racism (The Dan Rather Edition)

Seriously, Dan Rather? Is this the first metaphor that came into your mind? You couldn't use "can't punch his way out of a paper bag" or "can't hit the broad side of a barn" or "couldn't hit the water if he fell out of a boat"? Nothing like that? The first thing that came out of your feeble brain was this?!

"...part of the undertow in the coming election is going to be President Obama's leadership, and the Republicans will make a case, and a lot of independents will buy this argument, 'Listen he just hasn't been...' Look at the health care bill. It was his number one priority, it took him forever to get it through and he had to compromise it to death, and a version of 'Listen, he's a nice person, he's very articulate' this is what's going to be used against him. But he couldn't sell watermelons if you gave him the state troopers to flag down the traffic."

I'm watching this clip over and over and trying to wrap my head around Rather's rambling. Is he stating that this will be the Republican argument or was that last line a little joke gone wrong? I think it's the latter, which is very sad indeed.