Forget Bin Laden -- what will Hillary do about the UDC?

We've got a home mortgage crisis, the price of oil is going through the roof, the war in Iraq is bankrupting and bleeding us dry -- but what is candidate Hillary Clinton going to do about the United Daughters of the Confederacy? BlackCommentator demands an answer in an "investigative report" entitled -- hold on to your hats -- "Senator Hillary Clinton Must Explain The Praising of a Group of KKK Supporters."

In a year of political absurdities, where one candidate--Senator Obama--is being held accountable for his friends and acquaintances and everything that they have said and done during their life times, we have stumbled across a problem.

Right -- there's only one thing to do when you're stuck in a year of political absurdities, and that's to go even further over the top:

BlackCommentator.com has learned that Bill Clinton, while president, repeatedly praised the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC). This is an organization that many, including some whites and a former U.S. senator from Illinois, have called racist.

Uh-huh. BlackCommentator was just sitting in his headquarters, minding his own business, when he suddenly stumbled over the sinister truth about the UDC. Maybe the cat brought it in.

And did you catch that perfect use of weasel words? Of course, the SPLC has mastered the art of using deliberately deceptive terms that appear to offer something of substance when there's actually nothing there, but BlackCommentator has clearly been taking good notes. For those of you not familiar with the term, here's where it came from:

The expression "weasel word" is aptly named after the egg-eating habits of weasels. A weasel will suck out the inside of an egg, leaving it appear intact to the casual observer. Upon examination, the egg is discovered to be hollow. Words or claims that appear substantial upon first look but disintegrate into hollow meaninglessness on analysis are weasels.

So what is it that "many, including some whites" think about this shadowy organization? Take a deep breath before you read this:

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, the UDC is a neo-Confederate organization which is affiliated with such white supremacist groups as the Council of Conservative Citizens and the League of the South. Formed in 1894, the UDC limits its membership to women who are related to Confederate veterans of the “War Between the States.”

Oh, the horror. This country actually allows ladies to keep alive the memory of their ancestors? They're allowed to run loose despite a Southern Poverty Law Center fatwa against them and their eeeeevil friends?

The weird thing here is that BlackCommentator is demanding that Hillary come clean on her relationship to the UDC, and announce if she will "continue the tradition of support and praise of the United Daughters of the Confederacy." But it turns out Hillary has apparently had no contact with the UDC, nor has she even uttered a single word about them, pro or con. The only proof offered is this harmless note Bill Clinton sent to the UDC on its 100th anniversary:

The White House

Washington

June 21, 1994

I am delighted to honor the United Daughters of the Confederacy as you celebrate your 100th anniversary.

One of the most rewarding of human experiences is the coming together of people to share common experiences and interests. For 100 years, the United Daughters of the Confederacy has maintained and built upon the wonderful legacy of your founders. The strength of your organization today is a testament of the vision of your founders and to your commitment to your shared goals.

I congratulate you on your achievement, and I extend best wishes for many years of continuing success.

Bill Clinton

That's it? That note was hardly the foundation for a "tradition of support and praise of the United Daughters of the Confederacy." It's not like Bill gave them the keys to the US treasury or called out the Green Berets to run covert ops for them. The note was merely a social nicety, an empty gesture.

And since when did recycling unfounded assertions from the SPLC's web site qualify as "investigative reporting"?

But that's just the kind of thing that happens when you're in a year of political absurdities.