Co-blogger Shaun already mentioned Florida State Senator Bob Allen’s (R) weird defense of his offer to give oral sex to an undercover cop (“He was big and Black!”). What I find odd is that Allen’s defense effectively boils down to “I’d rather be called racist than gay.” Again, I’m no optimist on race issues, but I still think that by and large, “racist” is more harmful to one’s reputation in American politics than gay is?