Pat Kennedy bravely declares he wants to be treated like a black man. I’m in awe of this effort to turn lemons into political lemonade.

Update: I just saw that a reader has some relevant questions:

Hi Jonah –
I’m sure you saw this article (here), or one like it, regarding Patrick Kennedy’s mea culpa. His comical request to be treated like any “African-American in Anacostia” brings to mind several questions:
1. Has there ever been a case before where a white Democrat played the race card in a completely non-racial incident, and in a self-referential context? This is truly exceptional work – his dad was appointed to his seat for life for much less ingenious dissembling.
2. Has anyone in the Kennedy family ever sought out medical help for the family’s primary genetic flaw – the immediate and irretrievable loss of memory in response to any trauma involving alcohol, drugs, automobiles, and bad driving? Has any of them ever considered not combining all four?
3. Or was his quote simply a fun attempt at alliteration, like any “Intoxicated Irishman in Ithaca”, or any “Bloviating Buffoon in Brooklyn”?
I turn to you, a dedicated newsman, for answers.