Murka, you so crazy

I have two links to share with you folks. They both deal with American politics, but please don't head running for the metaphorical door. The first one is extremely inspirational, and the second extremely offensive. We liked to be inspired and offended, don't we?

Anyhoo.

#1 is in the "they clearly caught a special moment on tape" column. I'm not American and I only have an observer's experience with the black/white racial divide that haunts the American psyche. But that's more than enough for Donna Brazile's words to move me, and I'm sure they'll move you too.

She is not going to the back of the bus.

#2 is from Camille Paglia, who I sometimes loathe and sometimes love. She's answering reader mail here. In her responses, she confuses Sarah Palin's combination of obvious sexual fitness/fertility and assertiveness with actual worth and value. Or else Paglia's deliberately trying to be provocative and outlandish, as is her wont. And maybe by being provoked, I have aided in her satisfaction? Ack.

Anyway, she compares Palin to no less than Shakespeare. Shakespeare. (Because Palin's broken syntax is poetic and contains fragments of higher truths. No, really).

That's a difference of opinion which makes me wonder about her reasoning process and observation skills, but it isn't offensive. But then, on page two, she comes out with this gem:

I admire [Palin's] competitive spirit and her exuberant vitality, which borders on the supernormal. The question that keeps popping up for me is whether Palin, who was born in Idaho, could possibly be part Native American (as we know her husband is), which sometimes seems suggested by her strong facial contours. I have felt that same extraordinary energy and hyper-alertness billowing out from other women with Native American ancestry -- including two overpowering celebrity icons with whom I have worked.

My jaw dropped when I first read it. It's 'positive' racism, but it's racism none the less, along the lines of 'black people have rhythm' or 'Asians are good at math'. The noble and magical Native Americans have hyper-alertness and supernormal vitality! Talk about exoticism of the Other.

If a clip surfaced of Palin dancing, and she was really rockin' out, would it be at all acceptable to say "I notice her excellent sense of timing and her olive skin base. Is it possible she has an African ancestor somewhere along the line?"