I have used the word "Cool" for 40 years

I am not a big changer of slang. 40 years ago, "cool" was the word, and I have used that ever since. I don't use "it's the bomb", or "it's the schnizzle" or whatever stupid slang words are in vogue at any given time - I grew up on "cool" and that's what I use. Or occasionally "coo-el."

And now it's supposed to be racist?

Just stupid. Just as being unable to use the term "black hole" is ridiculous.

You know as well as I do the double standard that exists, and the double standard is that it's not possible for blacks to be racist. They don't have the power to enforce their racism, and so they have free rein. They can say whatever they want to say. They can't be racists. But again, I'll tell you what all this is, is an indication that they're flailing away and they're grasping at straws. For that Congressional Black Caucus babe to say that the Republican ad's racist, I think blaming everybody else and it's not my fault and they're making fun of me and your racists, it's not playing with the vast majority of the American people. Nowhere near a vast majority the American people. Bill, I appreciate the call, I really do.

Apparently sometime, it was recently, there was a big American Film Institute tribute to Shirley MacLaine. They had a whole bunch of people there. Jack Nicholson was there and Dennis Haysbert was there. Warren Beatty was there, Shirley MacLaine's brother. And the thing was televised. It is gonna be broadcast on TV Land. And Don Rickles was one of the performers, and Rickles told an Obama joke. And the story is that they're editing the Rickles joke out of the televised version of the event. And I want to tell you what the joke was. It was noteworthy because comedians don't make Obama jokes. I mean all these late night guys say, you know, he's just too cool, there's really nothing funny about the guy. There just really is nothing to make fun of him about.

So Rickles was typical. I mean he was insulting everybody. He was insulting Nicholson. He was insulting Shirley MacLaine, insulting everybody was there. Dennis Haysbert, insulted him for doing Allstate commercials. Haysbert played the president on "24" in season one. And when he got to Obama, Rickles said, "President Obama is a personal friend of mine. He was over to the house yesterday, but the mop broke." So the joke is Obama was a janitor, came over to clean Rickles' house, and the mop broke. And there was the usual nervous laughter, but there was some raucous laughter, it's reported. And so people said, was this racist or was this just Rickles? And Haysbert was quoted, "I thought what Rickles said about me was very funny."

Now, if you recall in the South Carolina primary in 2008, Clinton is talking to Ted Kennedy and they're talking about Obama. And Clinton said to Ted Kennedy, (Clinton impression) "You know, Teddy, not too long ago, just a few short years ago, this guy, Obama, would be serving us coffee. This guy would be bringing us our cocktail, Teddy." And, of course, a minor furor errupted, and they accused Clinton of being racist, and Clinton got mad that they're throwing the race card down on him, because he thought they had thrown the race card at him first. 'Cause Jesse Jackson went out there and said something about South Carolina, of course, don't have any choice, no way we're gonna win South Carolina. And made some connection with Clinton going there to rally white votes in South Carolina. Clinton thought they were playing the race card, so he told Ted Kennedy, (Clinton impression) "Who is this guy? Just a few short years ago this guy would be serving us our scotch, Teddy." Or what have you. So here's Rickles, "The president's a friend of mine. Came over to the house yesterday but the mop broke." Anyway, the joke has been pulled from the telecast. I just wanted to pass that on.