Rangel and the Race Card

Charlie Rangel is digging a hole that even Nancy Pelosi might not be able to get him out of:

Here we go again for Congressman Charles Rangel.

A major newspaper is calling for his resignation as chairman of the committee that writes tax laws.

And then there's this: The 79-year-old is under fire for comments he made about race and President Barack Obama.

First, Gov. David Paterson did it. Now, Rep. Rangel is doing it as an ethics probe heats up.

The "it" is playing the race card. Rangel said "bias" and "prejudice" are fueling opposition to health care reform.

Already under fire for a wide range of ethical questions, Rangel played the race card in a health care forum the other night, saying racial bias against President Obama is behind opposition to health care reform.

"Some Americans have not gotten over the fact that Obama is President of the United States. They go to sleep wondering, 'how did this happen?'"

Rangel also likened the fight to provide health care for the uninsured to the fight for civil rights.

"Why do black people have to bargain for what is theirs? Why do we have to wait for the right to vote? Why can't we get what God has given us? And that is the right to live as human beings and not negotiate with white southerners and not court the votes. Just do the right thing," Rangel said.

Rangel's incendiary remarks come as the congressman filed amended financial reports to the House Ethics Committee admitting that he forgot to report millions of dollars in assets and income.

Financial forgetfulness is apparently a disease that is spreading to his staff. Two top aides -- chief of staff Jim Capel and Rangel legal counsel George Dalley -- are among about a dozen staffers on Rangel's tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee that have filed amended financial reports recently. Capel did not file any financial disclosure statements for six years.

Rangel's own forgetfulness prompted the political important Washington Post to demand Thursday that Rangel step down as chair of Ways and Means.

Pelosi has already circled the wagons and proclaimed that he would keep his position of power, but these new racial statements will make that more difficult. At some point you just have to get this guy out of there.