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Biden on Obama: So Fresh and So clean, clean...

It's been a long time, since my last post, I know, I am sorry, a lot going on, and you know, well, that is always my excuse...

Anyway, I felt compelled to write today, after reading, then hearing US Democratic Presidential prospect Senator Joe Biden's comments on fellow Senator (and presidential hopeful) Barack Obama during an interview. This is what Biden said:

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

HUH??!! That in itself had me howling, but it was a posting about what kind of difference a COMMA would have made to the meaning of this statement that got me completely baffled. Here is Joshua Micah Marshall from Talking Points Memo:

'...what if the Observer punctuated casually? That is, what if there is supposed to be a comma before 'who,' making it a non-restrictive relative clause:

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American, who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

Thus he would mean Obama is both a). the first mainstream African-American candidate for president and b). articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy but not necessarily that he is the first African-American candidate to have these properties. This would be patronizing and stupid, but not the breathtakingly offensive sentiment suggested when the comma isn't there.

For real....?? WOW...

To be fair, Marshall does end his piece by saying that no matter where the comma is, the comment is still: 'really condescending bordering on racist. And it would still probably mean that Biden's mouth presents a clear and present danger to Democratic electoral prospects no matter what he meant. Ending his candidacy wouldn't be preemption, just legitimate self-defense.'

Cha man. So still, why go through all of that palava, if you know that the excersise is futile? Like, seriously, dude??

Anyway, comma placement aside, you can judge for yourself what Biden meant by listening here.

It really is priceless...

AND: The timing of Biden's SNAFU isn't lost on me. US Black History Month starts TOMORROW, Feb 1. Nice one Joe.