No 'D' for Congressman Apologizing For Smearing Palin, Gun Owners

Following up on our item on CNN.com last week, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Florida) has apologized for his attack on Sarah Palin that strangely smeared hunters and gun owners as racists and anti-Semites: "anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks."

CNN Political Ticker reports it again, but there's no explicit identification of Hastings as a Democrat (plus no mention in either post that Hastings was impeached and removed as a federal judge.) The headline is bland again: "Black Florida congressman apologies [sic] for Palin comments."

CNN's Martina Stewart elides the D label by noting Hastings "spoke at a panel on the shared agenda of Jewish and African-American Democrats during the annual conference of the National Jewish Democratic Council," and was attacked by Jewish  Republicans, so a reader can deduce the point. But it's funny how reporters can just tiptoe around the basics.