A few stray thoughts about the planned Congressional Black Caucus/Fox News Democratic presidential debate:

* When I read over the weekend in The New York Times that a Fox News political action committee has made several contributions to caucus members and to the caucus itself, it occurred to me that if another broadcast organization had done this, Fox News hosts and other wingnuts would be yelling "Shakedown!" But it's Fox, so it's OK.

* John Edwards was the first Democrat to boycott Fox, while Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton followed only afterward, but give Hill a little credit -- she did so after

[h]er top communications adviser, Howard Wolfson, helped run News Corporation's campaign seeking more black representation in the Nielsen television ratings. He did so in his capacity as a partner in the Glover Park Group, the consulting firm hired by News Corporation.

And, of course, she did so after Rupert Murdoch held a fund-raiser for her. Molly Ivins used to quote the old Texas Legislature saying: "if you can't drink their whiskey, screw their women, take their money, and vote against 'em anyway, you don't belong in office." In her own sedate way, Hillary has passed that test of semi-integrity.

* I guess if I were Dennis Kucinich I might also agree to participate, just for the face time. And this sounds rational:

"Certainly many Fox viewers are not part of the traditional Democratic base," Kucinich said, "but they have a right to hear from the Democratic candidates and we as candidates have an obligation to reach out to them. Families who view Fox News have lost loved ones in Iraq, lost their jobs to NAFTA, and lost their homes to medical bills, just as have the viewers of other networks."

But Dennis, they hate Democrats anyway, more than they hate the insurance companies or the outsourcers or the chickenhawk warriors of the administration who actually screwed them.

More here, here, and here. And there's a petition here.