A 'Bad Chair Day' or Rangel: How Long Until He Plays the Race Card?

How long until Charlie Rangel plays the race card?

Judging by how quickly another New York politician has played it during the presidential campaign, I give it another day or two. It's pretty much all they have left.

Embattled Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel is facing possible ouster from his powerful committee chairmanship as he scrambles to file new tax returns in a desperate bid to hold on to his job.

The amended returns will reflect years of income he never bothered reporting from renting out his beachfront Caribbean villa, his lawyer said yesterday.

House Republicans yesterday pushed Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to dump Rangel as head of the Ways & Means Committee, which writes the nation's tax laws.

"Given Chairman Rangel's continuing ethical lapses, he cannot effectively carry out his duties," nine GOPers wrote to Pelosi.

"It is in the best interest of the public and this representative institution for Rep. Rangel to step down from his chairmanship until his ethical issues have been resolved."

Memo to Republicans: Get ads ready on this. You have some momentum now with some possible McCain-Palin coattails. You never know, you could regain control of Congress and render removing Rangel from his chairmanship moot. Sure, I'd like to see him get the boot, but it would be nicer to have the people do the job.

Previously.