Clueless

During an interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club," former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was asked, "What's that one thing at Thanksgiving you just have to have?" Rice replied: "Mac and cheese ... but only once a year." A rather pedestrian choice, but hey, whatever. But then things got weird. Co-host Pat Robertson later asked, "What is this 'mac and cheese,' is that a black thing?" Um, say what? Mac and cheese, a mainstay that shows up on many an American table on Thanksgiving and countless other days, probably originated in medieval Italy. I'm guessing that the dish gained currency here after large numbers of Europeans immigrated to America at the turn of the 20th century. Anyway, Robertson meant no disrespect to African Americans. He just had no clue what mac and cheese was. As Steve Benen noted in his post (which the video clip), "In 1988, the guy very nearly won the Iowa presidential caucuses." Lord, give us strength ...