Robert "Sheets" Byrd just came out with a sort of autobiography recently.  In it, he tries to down play his participation in the KKK with pap such as the following:

Byrd says he viewed the Klan as a useful platform from which to launch his political career. He described it essentially as a fraternal group of elites--doctors, lawyers, clergy, judges and other "upstanding people" who at no time engaged in or preached violence against blacks, Jews or Catholics, who historically were targets of the Klan.

You see?  He just thought it was an Elks' club.  Not a hate group!  He was misunderstood!

The only problem is that he had other writings, writings from 60 years ago that have come to light.  IN a letter to Sen Theodore Bilbo, a DEMOCRAT, Byrd wrote:

--that he would never fight in the armed forces "with a Negro by my side." Byrd added that, "Rather I should die a thousand times, and see old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels."

And Blacks think this cretin has their best interest at heart?  Byrd sounds more like Hitler than any other politician in Washington today.