McCain's "I Hate Gooks" Remark, & Why It Still Matters

As John McCain continues to reinvent himself as the next Bush, many of those who follow him forget that only a few years ago he was bandying about the term "gook". To Asians, that word is as powerfully offensive as the "n" word to African-Americans.

In a 2000 interview McCain said, "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live." He was referring to his prison guards in Vietnam, but I seriously doubt if he would have used the "n" word to refer to his guards if he had been prisoner in Africa. His lack of racial sensitivity is a telling and troubling feature of his personality.

Though he tries to put on the face of a moderate, deep down there are racial hatreds that could bubble to the surface with disturbing consequences. Keep the "g" word in mind this November.