The Guardian reports on the latest from Rush Limbaugh:

The leading US shock jock Rush Limbaugh is taunting the liberal media
by repeatedly airing a derogatory and racially charged song about the
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

I’m not sure that shock jock is quite the correct description there. Don Imus, yes, Howard Stern, yes, but not Limbaugh.

Anyway, racially charged, yes, but it isn’t derogatory about Obama, rather about Al Sharpton, for it is he supposed to be he singing about Obama. There’s a long piece about it here at OTB.

It’s in a way confirmation (or rather making fun of) the point I made back here, that there will be, in fact are, those who claim that as Obama is of direct African and American descent, he is therefore not African-American.

Here’s the lyrics for those interested:

SHANKLIN (Sharpton impersonator): Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.

The L.A. Times, they called
him that

‘Cause
he’s not authentic like me.

Yeah, the guy from the L.A. paper

Said he makes guilty whites feel good

They’ll
vote for him, and not for me

‘Cause
he’s not from the hood.

See, real black men, like Snoop Dog,

Or me,
or Farrakhan

Have
talked the talk, and walked the walk.

Not
come in late and won!

[refrain] Oh, Barack
the Magic Negro, lives in D.C.

The L.A. Times, they called
him that

‘Cause
he’s black, but not authentically.

Oh,
Barack the Magic Negro, lives in D.C.

The L.A. Times, they called
him that

‘Cause
he’s black, but not authentically.

Some say Barack’s "articulate"

And
bright and new and "clean."

The media sure loves this guy,

A white
interloper’s dream!

But, when you vote for
president,

Watch
out, and don’t be fooled!

Don’t
vote the Magic Negro in —

‘Cause — ’cause I
won’t have
nothing after all these years of sacrifice

And I won’t get justice. This is about justice. This isn’t about me, it’s
about justice.

It’s about
buffet. I don’t have no
buffet and there won’t be any church contributions,

And there’ll be no
cash in the collection plate.

There ain’t gonna be no cash money, no walkin’ around money, no phoning money.

Now, Barack going to come in here and —

And now for something sensible:

Mr Obama’s campaign team described the song as dumb. Mr Obama, who
could become the first black president, said he had not heard the song
but had heard about it. He played down the row, saying that he did not
take himself so seriously that he became offended by every comment made
about him.

Sounds like exactly the right response to me.