For all the chatter about Michael Steele, Republicans’ real problem is that the party has a slimmer no margin for error on matters of race.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell recently proclaimed April “Confederate History Month.”
While praising the “sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens,” there was no mention of slavery. Oops.
In the wake of a firestorm of criticism, McDonnell has apologized for “a major omission”:
The failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed. The abomination of slavery divided our nation, deprived people of their God-given inalienable rights, and led to the Civil War. Slavery was an evil, vicious and inhumane practice which degraded human beings to property, and it has left a stain on the soul of this state and nation. In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly approved a formal statement of “profound regret” for the Commonwealth’s history of slavery, which was the right thing to do.Too late, damage done.
