I know he has too much class

But I would love to see Keith Ellison beat the shit out of Vernon Goode on the floor of the House - now that would be some good CSPAN.

Of course Ellison, in his typically classy way, chooses to be above the fray (and scumbags like Goode) with this, very under-reported reply:

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, said Thursday that Goode and others had nothing to fear about Muslims. "They are our nurses, doctors, husbands, wives, kids, who just want to live and prosper in the American way."
Asked whether he thought Goode was a bigot, Ellison said, "I don't know the fellow, and I'd rather just say that he has a lot to learn about Islam. ... I don't want to start any name-calling."

All you need to know about the state of the Bush admin and the Republican party can be known by the amount of invective directed at minorities and immigrants. The more they lose, the worse they behave. It's only a matter of time before they are too much of an embarrasment to let out into public.

Apparantly, most of Goode's constituents agree with him. CNN doesn't seem to think there is anything wrong with that, frequently making excuses for their intolerance and ignorance, but I think it's just another reason to let the South go.

Update:

On his first day in Congress, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, finally met the Republican who criticized him for his decision to use the Koran at his ceremonial swearing in.

Ellison asked another Democratic member to introduce him to Rep Virgil Goode, R-Virgina, who spoke out against Ellison in a letter to constituents last month. Ellison told CNN that he approached Goode on the House floor and the brief meeting went well.

"I shook his hand and shook mine. We greeted each other." Ellison asked Goode to grab a cup of coffee with him soon and Goode accepted.

Asked if he was felt singled out as the first Muslim member, Ellison said no and added, "By reaching out to Congressman Goode I'm not trying to be accepted, I'm trying to build bridges. In this world there are too many misunderstandings. I want to put a human face on things."

via Liberty Street

Yep, way more class than Goode deserves.