This is why we're in the mess we're in
Barney Frank says attacks on Community Reinvestment Act are racist
There's no room for discussion: don't like fiscal irresponsibility? Then "you're a racist! Don't blame me for trying to help the poor." I suppose that this, coming from a man who let his Senate Page lover run a prostitution ring from the Franks manse in Washington for years and "never noticed" is hardly surprising. The man may really be as clueless as he claims to be. He's certainly as venal.

Update: From someone who gets it:
Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus:

"Like a lot of my Democratic colleagues I was too slow to appreciate the recklessness of Fannie and Freddie. I defended their efforts to encourage affordable homeownership when in retrospect I should have heeded the concerns raised by their regulator in 2004. Frankly, I wish my Democratic colleagues would admit when it comes to Fannie and Freddie, we were wrong."

Barney, have you met Artur?