Bill Richardson says "maybe I’m a Neanderthal" and "Scarlett Johansson is beautiful."

On "Meet the Press" yesterday, there was a panel discussion about Obama's saying that Kamala Harris "happens to be by far the best looking attorney general in the country," and the lumbering, bumbling former governor of New Mexico came out with this:

You know, maybe I’m a Neanderthal, but I thought that the president’s comment was harmless. It was a political speech. He talked about her accomplishments, he talked about her competence. And then he threw in that line, you know, you are at a political event. What are you going to read her resume? So my point is this, you know, political correctness has reached a point, you know, it’s out of control. Am I going to be criticized for instance if I say that a movie star like Scarlett Johansson is beautiful? Are they going to go after me? Probably.

Does anyone really feel like going after Richardson? We were watching the show yesterday, and when he said this, I just laughed. I said something like: Why do they even have Richardson on the show? Why doesn't he know better than to go on and display himself like this?

Scarlett Johansson is beautiful... Bill Richardson is dumb.... What else is obvious?

(By the way, did you notice that Richardson went to North Korea this past January?)

"Let’s be clear, nobody looks like [Kamala] Harris at her age (48) without effort."

Instapundit says: "This sounds a bit catty, no?"

Well, yeah. "Effort" isn't saying much. It takes effort to get out of bed in the morning and drag a comb through your hair. But, let's be clear, the insinuation is serious effort, because otherwise, why say "let's be clear"?

I'm looking at pictures of Kamala Harris, and I don't assume she puts a lot of work into her looks. She wears a suit, a double string of pearls, light makeup, a simple hairdo. What's the big deal? She's healthy and has naturally good features.

Am I lacking in clarity?

Let's be clear, let's be clear can be an irritating phrase. It's closely allied to Obama's phrase "let me be clear." (And Elizabeth Warren's "I want to be clear. ") "Let's"— let us — is more inclusive, but in a coercive way. You're the one purporting to be clear. Quit demanding that I own your statements!

Hey, did you know that back in 2009, Harris said, about Obama, "He looks and he sounds like a million bucks"?

2 more thoughts (both via Meade):

1. Obama apologized to Harris, but Obama should apologize to his daughters.

2. Harris looks like Obama Girl.