What is Imus' Real Offense?

I have never listened to Don Imus, and I did not hear hear him utter his offensive comments. While it was reprehensible of him to heap gratuitous insults on the Rutgers' women's basketball team, I cannot help thinking that giving voice to bigotry cannot be Imus' real offense, since liberals -- especially some of the very ones who have howled for his head -- have made it abundantly clear that they have no problem with the sort of hate speech that makes Imus' inanities sound like flattery by comparison. Witness:

-- 1984: Jesse Jackson refers to Jews as "Hymies" and New York City as "Hymietown" in an interview with Washington Post reporter Milton Coleman. Repercussions from the Left: none visible.

-- 1991: The late Carl Rowan on Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas: "Clarence Thomas is the best only at his ability to bootlick for Ronald Reagan and George Bush....They didn't pick him because he was black. They picked him because he's a black conservative. And the thing that bothers me about his appointment -- if they had put David Duke on, I wouldn't scream as much because they would look at David Duke and reject him for what he is. If you gave Clarence Thomas a little flour on his face, you'd think you had David Duke talking." Repercussions from the Left: none visible.

-- 1994: Julianne Malveaux on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: "The man is on the Court. You know, I hope his wife feeds him lots of eggs and butter and he dies early like many black men do, of heart disease. Well, that’s how I feel. He is an absolutely reprehensible person." Repercussions from the Left: none visible. Also in 1994: Bill Clinton on blacks and television news: "African-Americans watch the same news at night that ordinary Americans do." Repercussions from the Left: you've got to be kidding.

-- 1995: Al Sharpton, whipping up hysteria in an attempt to scare off the Jewish owner of Freddy's Fashion Mart in Harlem: "There is a systemic and methodical strategy to eliminate our people from doing business off 125th Street. I want to make it clear . . . that we will not stand by and allow them to move this brother so that some white interloper can expand his business...We’re going to see that this cracker suffers. Reverend Sharpton is on it." Repercussions from the Left: none visible as to Sharpton; however, three months later, one of the protesters stormed Freddy's Fashion Mart, murdered eight people and burned the store down.

-- 2001: Democrat Senator Robert Byrd (who, by the way, opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act) on race relations in America: "There are white niggers. I've seen a lot of white niggers in my time. I'm going to use that word. We just need to work together to make our country a better country, and I'd just as soon quit talking about it so much." Repercussions from the Left: in the week following this comment, the number of bridges, buildings and highways scheduled to be named after Senator Byrd was reduced by 10%.

-- 2003: George Clooney on Charlton Heston and his battle with Alzheimer's: "Charlton Heston announced again today that he is suffering from Alzheimer's." When given the chance to apologize for mocking a man in his affliction, Clooney shot back: "I don't care. Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association. He deserves whatever anyone says about him." Repercussions from the Left: none visible.

-- 2004: Garry Trudeau, Jeff Danziger, Pat Oliphant (no direct links to the image available), Ted Rall and other leftist "artists" publish a series of racist cartoons on the occasion of Condoleeza Rice's nomination as Secretary of State. Repercussions from the Left: none visible; these guys are still working. Also in 2004: Ted Rall pens a (now redacted) "editorial" on the death of Ronald Reagan in which he stated that Reagan was in Hell, "turning crispy brown right about now." Repercussions from the Left: none visible, except that Rall's application for art school appears to be still on hold.

-- 2006: Louis Farrakhan on the Jews: "You better get rid of them neo-cons. That's the synagogue of Satan. They have made America weak. You're a weak nation now, and your country has been taken from you by the synagogue of Satan. They own Congress. That's why the Congress ain't right....These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength ... It's the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality. It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!...[the] wicked state of Israel [will be] cleansed with blood." Repercussions from the Left: none visible.

-- 2007: Joseph Biden in an interview with the New York Observer, on presidential candidate Barak Obama: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." The Observer characterizes this comment as Biden's skepticism about Obama's prospects, expressed "in a slightly more backhanded way." Repercussions from the Left: get serious.

So I ask again: what is it that Don Imus really did to bring down the wrath of the Left?

Could it be that he wasn't virulent enough?