[RedBean]

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The point is what if he knew it was a mistake, and you knew it was a mistake, but the public didn't know it was a mistake and were hammering him on it?

Would you defend it then?

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Please answer this one RedBean. Thx.

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No, I wouldn't defend the mistake itself, in so much as the substance of the comments, unless I happened to agree with them.

I would defend the person and the fact that he made a mistake, but I wouldn't shirk accountability for it by being so obtuse as to continue to defend the original mistake rather than admitting that one was made.

Do you really find it inplausible for Paul to have simply said "The comments themselves are racist and indefensible, and I apologize for them, but the staffer that wrote them is a truly good person who made a mistake in judgement and was unaware of the implications of this article, and despite his poor choice of words, he is not an inherent racist and I stand behind him, although I do no condone or support the comments."

Of course, that's even assuming that is the case. It's so obviously easy a choice, that it makes me question the truth of whether or not Paul agrees with the racist views based on his refusal to denounce them and insistance on defending them.