John Hawkins has these comments on quotes from Senator Byrd in 1944. Remember that Christopher Dodd said,

"I cannot think of a single moment in this Nation's 220-plus year history where he would not have been a valuable asset to this country."

Oooooh, ooooh, I can think of a moment! How about the moment Byrd wrote this back in 1946...

"I am a former kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan in Raleigh County and the adjoining counties of the state .... The Klan is needed today as never before and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia .... It is necessary that the order be promoted immediately and in every state of the Union. Will you please inform me as to the possibilities of rebuilding the Klan in the Realm of W. Va .... I hope that you will find it convenient to answer my letter in regards to future possibilities"

...Or better yet, how about the moment Byrd wrote this back in 1944...

"Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds."

Someone should run those quotes by Senator Dodd and see if he'd like to revise his comments...

Of course Dodd would say that Senator Byrd had grown beyond where he was in 1944 and we shouldn't hold that against him. And that's fine. But, Republicans never get cut such slack for anything they ever said or did. That is what is so aggravating.