Jesse Jackson on the Hillary/ Obama Race Issue

Jesse Jackson reports:

When Obama said that Hillary was "likeable enough,'' it was not a gender insult; it was a gentle compliment. These two were friends; they have campaigned together. To turn it into anything else is simply silly. When Hillary said Lyndon Johnson was necessary to get the Voting Rights Act passed, of course she's right. It took years of demonstrations, litigation and legislation to challenge segregation. King appreciated what Johnson helped achieve, even as he continued to challenge him. Hillary's statement is not a racial insult. When surrogates start demeaning Obama's experience as an organizer or insinuating garbage about his past, that degrades all of us, not just him.

The problem with this stuff is that it can easily get out of hand, embittering supporters on both sides. We're having a vital competition inside the team about who should be the first-string quarterback. And it's great that the competition is stiff and the competitors all highly skilled. But the battle for position shouldn't be so bitter that it divides the team and makes it impossible for the winner to bring us together to meet the real competition.

Jesse says don't be sensitive about race.