El Presidente Apology Tour

The ongoing saga of the El Presidente Vicente Fox Apology Tour takes a new turn with Al Sharpton demanding that Fox apologize to all blacks for his silly comment that Mexicans take jobs "that not even blacks want to do":

U.S. civil rights leader Al Sharpton said Thursday that Mexico's president still needs to apologize for saying Mexicans take jobs in the United States that "not even" blacks will do.

In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Sharpton said he wasn't satisfied with the contradictory expressions of regret issued by the administration of Vicente Fox this week. He said he would seek an "unequivocal, formal" apology during a meeting with Fox on Monday in Mexico City.

..."I don't think we've heard a formal apology from him," Sharpton said of Fox. "I think we've heard some regrets. I think we need an unequivocal apology. This was an unequivocal insult."

Clearly Al is feeling a little left out after Jesse Jackson got all the media attention and the personal phone call from Fox. Both Sharpton and Jackson consider themselves the kings of the civil rights establishment, and this situation has brought out the competition between the two.

Although Sharpton and Jackson use the word apology, what they really are looking for is money. Both have a history of extorting companies with threats of job actions and threats of discrimination claims, and until Fox anties up he's going to continue to be hounded by these guys.

Fox made the same mistake that Trent Lott did - he acknowledged the complaint. Both guys should have ignored the complaints and laid low for a bit until it blew over. Lott would still be Senate Majority leader today if he had done just that, instead of groveling to everybody in sight and making apology after apology. As soon as he acknowledged the complaint he was toast. It was just a matter of time after that.