Kilpatrick is his own victim

You had to know it was coming. Backed into a corner, his career and his administration crumbling, no credible defense to the scandals smothering him, and Kwame Kilpatrick reaches into his pocket and whips out the race card.

I've been called the N-word, he said in his State of the City speech Tuesday night. I've received death threats, and so has my family. I'm the victim of white racists and a sensationalistic press.

It's the play he always runs to get through trouble.

But if Kwame Kilpatrick and his family are victims of anyone, its of Kwame Kilpatrick and his ingrained belief that there should be no consequences for anything he does.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't force the mayor to start an affair with his top aide. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't force the mayor to fire three police officers to keep the affair hidden. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't force the mayor to lie under oath about both the affair and the firings. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't force the mayor to agree to a secret deal to cover up his indescetions. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't trick the City Council into approving the deal. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't use $8.4 million of taxpayer money to cover their own fannies. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The white racists and the vindictive media didn't drag the image of Detroit through the mud and bring progress in the city to a dead stop. Kwame Kilpatrick did that.

The backers of a new of cooperative spirit in Metro Detroit must have banged their heads against the wall when they heard Kilpatrick's appeal to the worst racial instincts of this region.

It's not enough that he's squandered his own potential and reputation, placed key city employees in the path of criminal charges and cost a cash-strapped community a bundle of money it didn't have.

Now he's also hell-bent on lighting the racial fires, hoping he can escape through the smoke.

By Nolan Finley Am I Right? Host