Happy Birthday Dear Hitler … Oops!

We have seen many candidates commit political suicide during an election year, from Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain singing his own version of the Beach Boys’ song, called “Bomb Iran,” to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton saying if there is a terror attack before the election, the Republicans would win the White House.

But what Indiana congressional candidate Republican Tony Zirkle did really takes the cake.

Zirkle not only gave a speech in Chicago about the targeting of young white women and pornography and prostitution to a group of neo-Nazis, but he stood in front of a picture of Adolf Hitler on Sunday, April 20, the day of the Führer’s birthday, reported the Northwest Indiana Times.

Is it important to mention that those who attended this closing-of-the-minds birthday bash were wearing swastika armbands and that there was a swastika flag in the background? (And yes, it was a birthday party, since there were letters stringed together to say “Happy Birthday” on main table in front of Zirkle as he was giving his speech.)

Now, in his defense, Zirkle said he gave the speech because he was invited by the American National Socialist Workers Party and to prove he isn’t a racist, he mentioned that he spoke on a black radio station in Atlanta.

It’s just a shame that this paper-thin excuse of an explanation doesn’t stand up to the fact that back in March of this year, Zirkle suggested that segregation between blacks and whites might solve a lot of problems.

Of course, many Republicans rightly denounced Zirkle. Sure, many candidates try to carry certain groups. For example, Sen. Barack Obama is trying to sway black voters in the South, while Clinton is trying to woo women voters. And McCain is trying to entice conservatives.

That’s normal for politicians to do and it doesn’t smack of being prejudice because they don’t normally speak to a group of people like the American National Socialist Workers Party.

But to actually have the nerve and speak to a small bunch of ignorant people who worship a ruthless, genocidal madman in the year 2008 has to be the biggest political mistake ever made.

Zirkle should be given the political equivalent of the Darwin Award, because he just did this country a great service by committing political suicide. Stick a swastika-embroidered fork in Zirkle, he’s done!