Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin again refused yesterday to apologize for comparing American troops to Nazis, the jailers of Stalin's gulag and Pol Pot and his murderous regime.

Michelle Malkin has a handy roundup of links. Little Green Footballs' Charles Johnson dipped his toe in the sewer and got a little "Screw Them" Kos infection.

Among the interesting tidbits out there is the story on Durbin's slanderous statement in today's New York Times -- the "paper of record" has a three paragraph story on the issue. You could overplay this story, and you could underplay this story -- the Times is certainly in no danger of doing the former, but is well on its way to doing the latter.

While I'm not quite ready to endorse ThirdWaveDave's solution to the Durbin problem, the responses he received when he tried to gauge how widespread Durbin's feelings on the American military are among the Democratic party are especially troubling.

Ted Kennedy 202-224-4543...."Not quite sure, I'll have to check on that." Not quite sure?

Joe Lieberman 202-224-4041...."Mr. Lieberman has no comment at all." Really?

John Kerry 202-224-2742...."Sen. Kerry doesn't have a position on Sen. Durbin's comments." Why doesn't this surprise me?

This is your United States Senate at work. Proud?

Proud? No. Completely surprised? Not really.

The troubling non-response response comes from Sen. Lieberman. A usually strong and sensible voice in the Democrat Party's center, Lieberman's refusal to rebuke Durbin is disturbing.

Republican Trent Lott was forced out of his leadership position for racially insensitive outrageous remarks he made at former Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party. Why did the Republicans push Lott off to the side? Because ever since Nixon's "Southern Strategy," Republicans have had a tough time winning the respect of African-Americans -- and Lott's remarks certainly didn't help to heal that wound. In an attempt to prove that the GOP has changed, Lott was punished.

Democrats face a similar quandry with Dick Durbin -- the No. 2 man in the party's Senate leadership. Ever since the Vietnam War, liberal Democrats have been perceived by the public at large as disdainful at best (and hostile at worst) of America's military men and women. Durbin's disgusting and outrageous comparison of them to Nazis, Soviets and the Khmer Rouge doesn't help the Democrat Party heal that wound. The silence (or reticence) of Democrats to rebuke Durbin makes it appear that they condone his remarks. Continued silence can only lead to the confirmation of the belief that the Democrat Party really is anti-military and pro-terrorist.