Different people find different jokes humorous. One that fell flat with almost everybody was the one Mike Huckabee told at Friday's NRA convention. To joke about a black presidential candidate being targeted for assassination showed extreme insensitivity and poor taste. To his credit, Huckabee realized the error of his ad libbing and issued an apology post haste. Some of the NRA's "good ole boys" thought an apology was not necessary and that pointing a gun at Obama was a good idea. I guess we know where the rumor originated about his not being sworn in even if elected. And people wonder why he didn't show up in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of MLK's assassination?

Tennessee Republi-cans have targeted Michelle Obama with a video being circulated on the internet which questions her patriotism. Yes, they use her words, but interspersed with Tennesseeans' proclaiming their pride in America, it looks really bad. Obama issued a warning today, "Lay off my wife!" and called the slur "really low class." I admire his courageous and noble defense of his wife.

How low can they go? Just recall the dirty tricks they employed in Harold Ford's last run for political office. It's this sort of blatant racism that gives the South the redneck reputation it has. I thought Mike Huckabee would help improve our image. He made such a brave defense of Obama's former pastor when all that flack hit the fan, but seems he's not fully recovered from his redneckism. I still like him, he's one of the more progressive and reasonable Republicans, but even he is subject to serious backsliding.