[muawiyah]

Larry did not do as well in literature class as he should have.

[KarlInOhio]

Does Larry's deck of cards only have clubs, hearts and diamonds because the word spade was used for black people?

[JRochelle]

“The best thing for me to do politically is stay away from the Big Dig - just get as far away from that tar baby as I possibly can.”

What offends me more is how he states that it would be better for him to stay away from the Big Dig.
Its his JOB to deal with it!

[mjolnir]

Larry did not do as well in literature class as he should have.

I wouldn't say that, since he does mention the Brer Rabbit stories.

Despite the origins of the term, I can understand why someone might take "tar baby" as referring to blacks. It has in the past, for instance in the case of the "Boston Tar Baby" aka the awesome boxer Sam Langford. I can further understand why someone might further take it to be referring to blacks in derogatory way, given the way tar babies look and just how the term sounds.

I'm not defending Larry Jones or any of these other guys, of course. Mitt was using the term as it was meant to be used, just as Tony Snow was, and I wonder why Larry Jones reacted the way he did yet still claims to be a Republican. I'd guess it's because Mitt isn't a member of the state's rather pathetic Republican establishment at least as much his being white.

Freep the poll that goes with the article!