TIM SCOTT IS NOW RUNNING AGAINST BARACK OBAMA, APPARENTLY

Here's the lead story at FoxNews.com right now:

Tim Scott responds to Obamas' criticism of Supreme Court ruling: 'A lie from the pit of hell'

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision to overrule affirmative action in colleges should be celebrated. On "The Faulkner Focus," the 2024 presidential candidate also hit back at former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who said "my heart breaks" for young people who are "wondering what their future holds" after the decision. Scott said the Obamas and others on the left are pushing lies "from the pit of hell" about opportunity in America.

Accusing the former president of telling lies "from the pit of hell": That Tim Scott is so nice, isn't he?

Scott said:

Well, the good news is we're going to have another African-American president. His name will be Tim Scott.

So he clearly has Obama on his mind. Scott went on to say:

I'm running for president because I know America can do for anyone what she has done for me. But sending the message that somehow the color of your skin means that you will not be able to achieve your goals from an educational perspective, from an income perspective or family formation, that is a lie from the pit of hell. We will not be judged solely by the color of our skin. That's what the ruling said today. But that is the story of America. That is a story of American progress and we can all celebrate that today.

Earlier this month, on David Axelrod's podcast, Obama criticized Scott and Nikki Haley, saying, “There’s a long history of African American or other minority candidates within the Republican Party who will validate America and say, ‘Everything’s great, and we can make it.’” Scott responded (on Fox News Sunday, of course), “There’s no higher compliment than being attacked by President Obama.” (Again with the niceness!)

After this exchange, Wall Street Journal opinion writer Jason Riley published a column titled "Why Barack Obama Is Afraid of Tim Scott." Riley argued that Obama is afraid Scott's message will connect with people. It seems to me that the opposite is true -- Scott is afraid that Obama's message will connect with people.

Clearly Scott lacks the courage to run against his actual competition in the presidential race, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. So he's running against a guy who isn't running. (Of course Obama, unlike Trump or DeSantis, can't choose Scott as a running mate.)

Scott can't seem to decide whether America is a race-blind paradise or a leftism-riddled hellhole. On Faulkner's show, he said:

Here's what I would say to America today: that I am excited about who we are as a nation. I'm excited about the progress that we've seen in the rearview mirror. But what excites me the most about America is that when you look at the windshield of our future, it is bright for all of our kids. Unfortunately, the radical left have been co-opted by the teachers' unions. And so making sure that we get back to providing quality education in every single zip code in this nation K through 12 means that with quality education K through 12, your child can go to the most elite colleges in America. If we fix public education, we will make sure that every generation going forward will have access to opportunities.

We need to "get back to providing quality education in every single zip code," which means we aren't "providing quality education in every single zip code" -- and yet the "future ... is bright for all of our kids." Confusing!

Scott also said:

And oh, by the way, I'm not sure that going to an elite university is the path to prosperity. It is actually going as high as your character, your grit and your talent will take you. That means whether you go to Harvard, Charleston Southern, or whether you want to be a plumber or a welder, you too can experience your version of the American dream.

Dammit, Tim! Why didn't you tell the plaintiffs in these cases that they didn't want to go to these silly universities anyway? You could have saved everyone a lot of trouble!

We'll see if Obama can bait Scott every time he makes a public statement. (It appears that he can.) And I should acknowledge that it's more important as a Republican presidential candidate to establish which liberals you really, really hate than it is to have detailed policy positions on any issue. So if Scott really is running against Obama, he's probably on to something.