Bush's F on civil rights: A draft version of a report card from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights offers an incredibly damning indictment of the Bush administration, saying that this president has not "defined a clear agenda nor made civil rights a priority." It states that the administration's policies have effectively "retreated from long-established civil rights promises." For starters, Bush's funding of civil rights programs--Departments of Education, Labor, Justice, Health and Human Services, HUD, and the EEOC, to name a few--has been far lower than funding by the past two administrations, and he's done nothing to prevent the kind of voting fiasco that won him the election in Florida in 2000. His policies have hurt housing opportunities for poor, minority families; he has encouraged racial profiling following 9/11; and efforts for equal rights for immigrants, Native Americans, disabled people, women, gays, and lesbians have "remained elusive." The report concludes "that President Bush has neither exhibited leadership on pressing civil rights issues, nor taken actions that matched his words."

No wonder conservatives are trying to kill the report. Some rightwingers have accused the commission's staff with playing the race card just in time for the election. As the Chronicle's Emil Guillermo writes, "That's funny. The U.S. Civil Rights Commission playing the race card? What a hoot. What else would a commission whose subject is race talk about?"

Read the draft report card (pdf format) while you can.

(Thanks, Kemi.)