One of the more bizarre claims that proponents of the Akaka bill continue to press is that the new entity will not be race-based. John Cornyn just went through the process by which the new government would be formed–a committee with expertise in Hawaiian ancestry will certify a list of native Hawaiians–and he asks his opponents, How can legislation that requires the federal government to form a race-based committee with expertise in race determination to create a race-based list of people who will vote on a race-based government not be considered race-based? Very intelligently, all the opponents who have spoken so far–Alexander, Kyl, Sessions, Craig, Sununu, and Cornyn–have repeatedly emphasized the term “race-based.” It’s a shrewd p.r. move to be sure, but, as Cornyn highlighted, there’s simply no other way to describe this legislation.