If Hitchens wants to really confront racism, he could start with the sorry record of his own party, starting with the southern strategy of the 1960s and continued into the present with the bashing of illegals, demonization of Moslems, and voter disenfranchisement of African-Americans. But there is no denying that his columns prompt thinking and discussion.

This is not to say that Bill Clinton's comments have not struck a racial chord. Why for example, would he compare Jesse Jackson's 1988 results in South Carolina with those of Barak Obama, if not to discount them by implying this success was due the atypical preponderance of African-American voters in that state? The brilliant Mr. Clinton could not credibly have failed to understand the implications of his words before he uttered them. This does not make Clinton a racist but at the very least he is a politician who will use race to his advantage - his perceived advantage, not Hillary's.

Bill Clinton has been stampeding around, perhaps fatally injuring Hillary's campaign. As a long-time Democrat out here on the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Bill Clinton's antics have made me wince more than once, and wonder why such a brilliant politician would rampage so destructively, so damagining to his wife's chances. Several possibilities have occurred to me.

I knew a long-time oil tanker Captain who retired after many years at sea to discover that his wife was Captain of their home. He never really adjusted, nor did she. Brilliant, willful and impetuous, Bill does not appear to understand or accept that Hillary is the Captain of this campaign. It is not much of a leap to worry about how Bill would adjust to being first spouse. Could he ever subordinate himself to Hillary's authority or would he rampage around the White House as well?

Or is Bill unconsciously (or consciously) undermining his wife (again). It seems possible that there may be hate as well as love in their complex relationship, and ambivalence and jealousy. Hillary, with a Democratic Congress, could well be more successful than her husband was. Can Bill Clinton handle that?

Pehaps more innocuously, Bill, supremely confident in his intellect and articulateness, may not be coordinating closely with the campaign. Instead of staying on messages created by others he may be creating his own. I can imagine Hillary and her advisors also wincing at Bill's intemperate remarks.

Many Fray discussants assume that Bill and Hillary act ruthlessly together, jointly formulating his irresponsible comments, that Bill is under attack dog orders and discipline. It seems more likely to me that he has been freelancing, operating independently and blunderingly in this campaign, and Hillary has been (of course not literally) screwed again.