Dems vicious fued caused by small differences

Clarence Page:

In primary election campaigns, the fighting is often vicious because the differences are so small.

That helps to explain why, despite so many more urgent foreign and domestic issues on the table in the Democratic presidential primaries, so much attention has been riveted lately on exciting distractions.

Did Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois oppose the war in Iraq from the very beginning? He proudly did.

Did Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York insult the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.? She proudly did not.

Yet former President Bill Clinton suddenly found his honorary "first black president" status, famously conferred on him with tongue in cheek by author Toni Morrison, in jeopardy after he ridiculed Obama's version of his early Iraq war opposition as a "fairy tale."

And his wife has come under fire from some black leaders for saying in a televised interview: "Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ... It took a president to get it done."

Actually, if anyone should feel offended by that remark, it is Republicans. Sen. Clinton could have showed a little love for Senate Republican Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois, who rounded up enough Republican votes to offset strong opposition from Johnson's fellow Southern Democrats.

But facts often are not as important as feelings in neck-and-neck political races. The offense matters more than actual fault in the racial "gotcha" game. Political correctness? Sure. The important thing to remember about political correctness is that politicians invented it. As an icon of black aspirations poses a serious challenge to an icon of women's aspirations, liberal PC has come back to bite liberals.

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Page's piece is worth reading in full. However, it is remarkable for finally giving credit where it is deserved for the civil rights legislation. He in fact understates the contribution of the Republicans. The majority of Republicans supported the legislation and significant number of the Democrats opposed it.

The story also highlights the crack up of the Democrat coalition in this race. The breech may be repaired but its emotional scars are much deeper than the differences on the GOP side this year.