They say a leopard can't change its spots. Can a one-time Klansman change his, umm, sheets?
…
Byrd is the only former Ku Klux Klan member in the United States Senate. Yes, he resigned from that organization long before he became a senator — and has often denounced it.
Still, certain behavior pops up that makes one wonder exactly how far the man has moved from his roots.
Byrd is the only senator to vote against both black Supreme Court justice nominees — Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas. That's something that couldn't even be said about his former colleague, one-time segregationist Strom Thurmond.
Now, Byrd might not be a racist today.
But adding this unseemly tactic with Condoleezza Rice to his unique track record — well, exactly what would the mainstream press do if a black female Democrat were blocked from taking a high Cabinet post by, say, Trent Lott?