Republicans and the Race Card

Via the redoubtable Matt Yglesias at The American Prospect, this reminder of a simpler time when conservatives weren't accusing liberals of being "racist" for worrying about links between the United Arab Emirates and terrorism.

Come to think of it, didn't Rudolph Giuliani get all kinds of conservative props for righteously rejecting an Arab donation to the Twin Towers Fund? Remember when Republicans used to crow delightedly about how such gestures were a much-deserved rebuke to the wimpish advocates of political correctness--the liberal weenies who opposed racial profiling and other such essential get-tough measures?

But all that was long, long ago . . . if it ever happened at all. Haven't we always been at war with Eurasia?

I think my rule still stands: When conservatives start accusing other people of "racism," take a long second look at what they are really saying. The real message can usually be summarized in three words: "Shut up, liberals."

Tags: United Arab Emirates, racism, Giuliani