I was going to poke fun yesterday at Santorum's “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better" gaffe, but considering all the truly horrible things he's said and means, taking this one out of context just seemed superfluous.

"I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money,” Santorum told a gathering in Iowa, before continuing with his usual conservative-Republican gospel of self-sufficiency:

“I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn their money and provide for themselves and their families,” he added. “The best way to do that is to get the manufacturing sector of the economy rolling.”

It's not that he doesn't want to make black people's lives better. He just doesn't want to do it via a welfare state. That, at least, is how I understood Santorum's poorly worded statement, and so fair and balanced that I am, I decided to not to hang him with it.

But then Santorum insisted on stepping in his own shit:

“I don’t single out on any group of people, that’s one thing I don’t do,” the former Pennsylvania Senator explained to Hannity. “I don’t divide people by group and race and class."

Then, um, why did you single out black people?

“I condemn all forms of racism and there’s nobody who has done more as a Republican in the United States Senate to bring African-Americans into the party. Go ask J.C. Watts. Ask Michael Steele."

Really, Rick? The some-of-my-best-friends-are-black defense?

"I’ve worked with historically black colleges. I’ve done a ton of stuff. This is just someone trying to cause trouble."

Yeah... probably a black person.

(Sigh.)