I mean, the optics of this one are absolutely appalling -- which is why we can be sure that the MSM won't talk about it. But still, appointing a white man to replace an Asian-American when he had designated his an Asian-American protege as his choice to succeed him does look really bad.

Just as a thought experiment imagine what would happen if the following scenario played out…

• A minority Republican Senator passes away.
  
• Choosing a successor is the responsibility of his state’s (white) (Republican) governor.
  
• The late Senator in question had formally made a request to the governor that a particular qualified individual (who also happens to be a minority) succeed him.
  
• The governor then proceeds to ignore the dying wish of the late Senator, and instead chooses his (white) Lt. Governor.

The question before the board is, Just how big would the resulting media firestorm be, anyway? Large enough to detect from orbit?

So let's compare this succession with how the most recent GOP opening/appointment played out.

H/T Race For 2016