“Weird Cal”: Just Repeat It

A possible successor to embattled RNC Chair Michael Steele? According to FNC contributor Cal Thomas, another African American, Ken Blackwell, who is “very, very intelligent, and articulate, and smart, and as Joe Biden would say, ‘clean.'”

During an America’s News HQ segment Saturday, co-anchor Rick Folbaum  asked the conservative columnist whether Steele should stay at his GOP post after his controversial comments about the Afghan war. After saying that he “was an early supporter of  Michael Steele…because he represented a different face for the party” and had a compelling life story, Thomas answered, “But, he’s not the only African-American in the party. One of those who ran against him for the chairmanship, Ken Blackwell, former Secretary of  state of Ohio, very, very intelligent, articulate, and smart, and as Joe Biden would say, ‘clean’ candidate.”* After smiling at his peculiar homage to the Veep, he continued, “If he’s still out there and still wants the job, I think…he might be a good candidate for it.”

As the reader may recall, Biden apologized for similar remarks about then Senator Barack Obama, his then Democratic primary opponent during the 2008 election season. (Biden characterized Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”) To the author, it seemed strange at best that Thomas would intentionally happily echo what many consider to be a racially-charged “compliment” for another charismatic black candidate. Perhaps, he was tippling before his holiday weekend appearance on the America’s News HQ: It might help explain his racially rasping remark but it certainly does not excuse it.

*America’s News HQ – 07/03/10 (@6:06 p.m. ET

“Baby Got Back” Day

“I like big butts and I cannot lie!” Fox & Friends Weekend co-hosts Alisyn Camerota, Dave Briggs, and Clayton Morris could not resist these infectious strains of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” As the tempting tune played, the F&F trio got off the curvy couch and did their booty dance. Even conservative columnist Cal Thomas couldn’t restrain himself.

After a segment on the controversial Burger King commercial that celebrates Spongebob to the altered lyrics of “Baby Got Back” (e.g., “I like square butts and I cannot lie”), the co-hosts began to animatedly move to the music. Then Aly and Dave stood up and started jauntily gyrating with their backs to the audience as they segued to meteorologist Rick Reichmuth.

It got even more spirited when Rick’s weather report concluded: All three co-hosts  got up and did their booty boogie. However, wisely, Dave and Clayton backed away and gave Aly the floor. She did not disappoint: The Italian dish happily became the camera’s cynosure and the Italian dish saucily shook her groove thing with reckless abandon.

As to Cal, he was caught earlier doing a few disco moves to “Baby Got Back” as he sat in his chair awaiting his on-air appearance.** After playing the vid for the audience, interviewer Dave apologized for doing that to him. Cal responded, “No, no, it’s great; it’s fun; [and] it shows that white people have rhythm, too.”

*F&F (04/18/09) – 8:42 a.m. ET

**F&F (04/17/09) @7:19 a.m. ET