Whether that was racist or not (could go either way, hard to fully see his intent), you'd think Republicans would want to avoid bringing up race.  Its just going to blow up in their face.

 

How the heck did David Bellavia get to introduce any presidential candidate though?  He sounds like a complete moron.

No need for Tiger Woods, we got Barack.

Wow, talk about taking things out of contest...the guys is talking about who his sons would look up to as idols and he is implying that they'll look up to a war hero (McCain) as opposed to a sports hero (Tiger).

 

The media (including you, 100%) are the only ones bringing race into this, so blame yourself if you're going to blame anyone.  And, while your at it, keep your 'the republican party is racist' innuendos to yourself.

Definately agree. The intent was obviously not to make a racial remark, which would've only hurt the man he's endorsing.

So you think he just coincidentally brought up a popular black man? Please, your smarter than that.

It might not be racist, but it's pretty obvious what he was saying, reinforcing it with the audacity for hope comment.

As someone who usually votes republican that was an embarrassing introduction.

You must be watching a different video. He's clearly referring to Obama when he says "Tiger Woods." It's a dumb move regardless of how you look at it.

As for 'the republican party is racist', I never said that. I just pointed out that minorities tend to be about as prominent in the party as the lone black guy in the video - which is true.

OK, I'll say it.  THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS RACIST.  There, it's out there on the internets and can never be taken back.  Remember McCain's black baby from 2000? 
I kid, of course.  The Republican party isn't racist, they just don't like blacks, Mexicans, or Muslims. 

I think it would be nice to see more of the clip, because I'm willing to bet that there was some sort of anecdote or story leading up to the comment about Tiger. As unintelligent as the guy sounds, it's still hard to believe he'd pull that out of nowhere like that.

Regardless, Barack Obama IS the Tiger Woods of this presidential campaign. He's a black man in what has been primarily a white man's world, and he's destroying the competition, all while maintaining class and dignity.

That being said, leave it to a liberal d-bag like Olbermann to even publicize this. The democrats play the race card whenever it's convenient, whether or not it's even relevant. The REAL racists are the ones who continue to even MENTION issues of race. Bellavia didn't say "you can have your n*****, we have John McCain". He said you can have your Tiger Woods. That only becomes a "racist" comment when someone decides to pretend that "Tiger Woods" is an insult, or when they take something out of context and try to create an analogy that may not have even been there.

I'm not saying that I've seen the whole introduction, but I will say that this appears to just be another case of poor, shoddy, biased "journalism" by Keith Olbermann. He's a mediocre sports commentator, but even worse on the political side. The sooner people realize he's a fraud, the better.

"The REAL racists are the ones who continue to mention issues of race"

- Couldn't agree more. People are quick to point out an all-white republican crowd, but contradict themselves with the belief that race shouldn't matter.

I've seen the full clip (looking for it now for proof) and there is no lead up to the Tiger comment.  Whether he meant it as racist or not, it was undoubtedly a horrible example to use.

Wait, so we should just ignore race issues in this country and hope they go away and I'm the real racist when I bring it up?  How does that even make sense?

Are you kidding me?  Do you know that this "racist" you are slamming is a hero himself.  David Bellavia is nominated for the medal of honor.  He deserves more respect than you are giving him.  He has delivered this speech before -  he is saying that his sons will grow up to look up to real heroes not sports figures who make millions of dollars.  If he mentioned a white athlete would we be even having this discussion.  This is wrong!

Whether or not you think the comment was racist has nothing to do with him being a war hero.  You can be a war hero and a racist at the same time.  Now I'm not saying the guy is racist, but you can defend one thing by bringing up something else.  "He couldn't have killed that dog, he's a race car driver!!"

Race issues shouldn't be ignored...but things that AREN'T race issues to begin with shouldn't be turned INTO race issues by people who are so over-anxious to right the wrongs of the past, that they seek out trouble when none actually exists.

The point is that the issue WOULD go away if you ignore it because then race would truely not matter.

Now that I agree with.  But race is a touchy subject for a lot of people and if you put yourself out there in the public square, you better be damn sure you don't say anything that can be construed as racist.  It's just the way of the world.  You can't just take 200 years of institutionalized racism and just wave a magic wand and say "Nevermind! Do over!"

That's just sweeping it under the rug.  It's still there.  On both sides.  The only way to truly get rid of it is an open and honest discussion from all sides but it's such a touchy subject that no one wants to talk about it. 

You're right, I went too far by saying to ignore it. There's nothing wrong with an honest discussion, I'm just sick of people constantly bringing it up and taking things out of context to create a phantom controversey. Olbermann said something obviously not intended as a racist remark, so it becomes tiresome when it makes headlines.

It wasn't just Olbermann.  A lot of people saw it that way.  You have to admit, it was an odd comparison to make.  Of all the athletes he could have mentioned, he brought up the one mixed race athlete that is half black.

But Tiger's also perhaps the most recognizable athlete on the planet. He's possibly the best ever at his sport, is well-liked, is charismatic, and EVERYONE knows who he is. Would it have been an issue if he said Michael Jordan? He's also black, but everyone knows that Jordan in his prime was at the pinnacle of all sports, and was the figure that ALL athletes looked up to.

So...
1) How is it that RACE is the first thing that comes to mind when people mention Tiger Woods?
2) How could it possibly be construed as offensive? I see it as a compliment, if nothing else. You can call me Larry Bird all you want.

Out of all the athletes he could have mentioned, he brought up the most recognizable and well liked athlete in the world. How is that odd?

Exactly.  That is the first sports hero that popped into his head.  He wasn't bringing up race.  The reason I bring up the fact that he is a war hero is that says a lot about his character.   I feel bad for this guy.  He is getting attacked because people on the left want to make him a villian because he supports McCain.  

 By the way.  Have any of you guys read Bellavia's book "House to House: An Epic Memoir of War"   Check it out and then tell me what kind of person he is.