Playing identity politics with what ought to be the most impartial aspect of government

That's what Dick Durbin's up to:

Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said in an interviewthat Republicans should pause before opposing Obama attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch, because the 50th anniversary of the Selma civil rights march is approaching.

“I would think, as we approach the 50th anniversary of Selma, that Republicans should be more sensitive about what they’re doing to this woman,” Durbin said. If confirmed, Lynch would be the first African-American women appointed to the post.

Durbin, who is white, was even more explicit in a response to a follow-up question from NBC’s Frank Thorp. “She is an African-American woman who has been nominated for the highest law enforcement position in the history of the United States. She’s being held up for no substantive reason. That’s not an implication. That’s a statement.”

“You can’t celebrate civil rights and ignore the reality that one of the most important civil rights milestones, the appointment of an African-American attorney general, is being held up for no good reason,” he concluded. 

Goofy and scary at the same time.