If there is any integrity in the media, the Democrat party, and the civil rights establishment, Harry Reid should be forced to resign from his position as Senate majority Leader, if not completely driven from office over the disclosure of racist comments made about Barack Obama.

Journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann reported the remarks in their new book “Game Change,” according to an excerpt published by The Atlantic late Friday.

“He (Reid) was wowed by Obama's oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama - a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama's race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination," they write.

If anything approaching those comments had come out of the mouth of a Republican leader, there would be a firestorm of outrage and demands for that individual's scalp. Just look back at the Trent Lott fiasco after he paid a courtly compliment to a colleague at his hundredth birthday. Reid has gone well beyond anything said by Lott, in that he made explicitly racial and racist remarks about an African-American colleague who was running for (and was eventually elected) President. That constitutes a much bigger offense in my eyes, as does his apology statement which amounts to "some of my best political friends are black."

Now, add this disclosure to the fact that last year Harry Reid fought like hell to prevent the appointment of an African-American to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat after he was elected to the presidency and I do not see how Democrats and the media can continue to stand behind the man.

But then again, remember who the Democrats have put three heartbeats from the presidency.

I'm leaving my sheets to Harry when I die!

Of course, they did put this racist only a single heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

Others blogging include Hot Air, Doug Powers, Gateway Pundit, Ace, Macsmind, Cornucopia (twice), Stop The Leftist Propaganda Machine, HyScience, Ed Driscoll, Big Government, Michelle Malkin, NewsBusters, PowerLine