Some random observations from last night’s Democratic debate at historically black Howard University:

HomophobObama?

First there was this…

Barack Obama: One of the things we’ve got to overcome is a stigma that still exists in our communities. We don’t talk about this. We don’t talk about it in the schools. Sometimes we don’t talk about it in the churches. It has been an aspect of, sometimes, our homophobia that we don’t address this issue as clearly as it needs to be.

[Note to the New York Times: Erasing Obama's use of the possessive word "OUR" from your transcript does NOT mean he didn't say it. Despite your best attempts to bury Obama's honest admission, other, less delusional news organizations, including CBS, accurately reported Obama's comment. Pretty pathetic for the alleged 'paper of record.']

And then…

Joe Biden: I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack got tested for AIDS. There?s no shame in being tested for AIDS.

Barack Obama: (looking disturbed by Biden’s comment): Tavis, Tavis, Tavis, I just got to make clear — I got tested with Michelle.

Tavis Smiley: Ah.

Barack Obama: In — when we were in Kenya in Africa. So I want to –

Tavis Smiley: All right.

Barack Obama: I don?t want any confusion here about what?s going on.

Tavis Smiley: All right.

Barack Obama: I was tested with my wife.

Tavis Smiley: And I?m sure Michelle appreciates you clarifying it.

Barack Obama: In public.

Egalitarian Edwards Has Gone Certifiably Communist

Ruben Navarrette: Do you agree that the rich aren?t paying their fair share of taxes? And if so, what would you do about it?

John Edwards: Well, I think we have — in fact, I?ve heard Warren Buffett himself talk about the genetic lottery that we have in America, where, you know, the family you?re born into has an awful lot to do with what happens with your life.

And what we want to do, I think, is live in an America where, no matter who your family is or what the color of your skin or where you?re born, everybody gets the same chance to do well. And people who have done well ought to have more responsibility to pay back to the country and to the community and those around them.

Bill Richardson – Heroin Junkie?

Michel Martin: I?m sure you?ll agree there are a lot of beautiful young people out here in the audience today, and we?re very pleased to be here at Howard University. So you can imagine how disturbed we were to find out from the Centers for Disease Control that African-Americans, though 17 percent of all American teenagers, they are 69 percent of the population of teenagers diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

Governor…what is the plan to stop and to protect these young people from this scourge?

Bill Richardson: You got to make some tough choices. First, we?ve got to have — we have to use needles.

Tavis Smiley Confesses Mancrush on Obama

Barack Obama: That?s why I passed racial profiling legislation at the state level. That?s why I passed legislation to make sure that we didn?t have wrongful convictions.

Tavis Smiley: Senator Obama.

Barack Obama: But it requires some political courage, because oftentimes you are accused of being soft on crime when you deal with these issues.

Tavis Smiley: Thank you, sir. I love you, man, but I?m trying to keep this moving.

?[Again, the New York Times took the liberty of editing the transcript -- this time deleting the word "man" from the fawning PBS reporter's comment...and they attributed quotes by Tavis Smiley in error to USA Today reporter DeWayne Wickham.]

Democrats Form United Front in Determining Best Way to Pander to Black Community

1. We must not distinguish between powder and crack cocaine.

2. No more mandatory minimums for career criminals.

Chris Dodd: I think the mandatory minimum sentencing has been a disaster. I?m a strong supporter of Charlie Rangel?s efforts here to eliminate the distinction between crack cocaine and powder cocaine.

Hillary Clinton: We have to go after mandatory minimums…We need to make sure that we do deal with the distinction between crack and powder cocaine.

Joe Biden: You have to eliminate the disparity between crack and powdered cocaine. I?ve introduced legislation to do that, one to one, no difference.

John Edwards: Everything that?s been said is correct, you know — changing mandatory minimum, changing the disparity between crack and powder cocaine, having a system that?s fair.

Dennis Kucinich: We need to seek to end mandatory minimums. We know who?s serving those mandatory minimums.

And lastly, here are the results from the Covenant with Black America’s Post-Forum Poll (Pre-Forum Poll results in parentheses):

• Barack Obama 46.1 (64%)
• John Edwards 24.3 (11.2%)
• Hillary Clinton 18.6% (12.3%)
• Dennis Kucinich 13.3% (2.5%)
• Mike Gravel 1.9% (0.4%)
• Joe Biden 1.1% (0.9%)
• Bill Richardson 0.9% (0.8%)
• Chris Dodd 0.0% (1.5%)