Racing ahead

I doubt that, A) we're quite on the verge of a "post-racial" America or that, B) Barack Obama is the person who will lead us there. But it's so overdue:

When Rep. Scott Reske, D-Pendleton, directed the words “racism” and “hate” toward Indiana House Republicans, reaction was swift. Rep. Jack Lutz, R-Anderson, accused Reske of playing the race card.

This volatile issue requires cool heads, and name-calling shouldn't be part of the debate.

The heated exchange of words stemmed from one of the most contentious issues in America politics: immigration. Indiana Republicans wanted an immigration bill to cut off all public benefits for illegal immigrants, while Democrats wanted to place the onus on businesses that hire people who are in the country illegally.

Calling someone a racist is one of the forms of name-calling it is still possible to get away with, and it's almost always an attempt to end an argument rather than engage one. But accusing someone of "playing the race card" is getting a little old, too. Can't we come up with a fresher rejoinder? Pushing the race button? Yanking the race chain? Driving the race car?