When it comes to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, most of us knew it was only a matter of time before his mouth made national headlines. Emanuel's crude and tasteless way of handling his work and other people run counter to the kind, ethical disposition that President Barack Obama tries to maintain. This week, Emanuel had to deflect criticism for a comment in which he used the term "f**king retarded" to describe a proposal made by a group of liberal Democrats. This led to Emanuel getting calls from Special Olympics Chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver to help him understand why such comments are offensive to disabled Americans everywhere.

Let's be clear: Emanuel was probably not the most qualified man for the job when President Obama selected him. Rahm is a Chicago man, which means that Obama was likely loyal to his colleague, as most Chicago politicians happen to be. Beyond that, the last thing the president needs is for a fellow Democrat to appear insensitive to those who form part of the base of his liberal constituency. I am sure that Emanuel's attack dog reputation serves the president well at times, but there is always the risk that your own attack dog might turn around and bite you. In the world of politics, many of the attack dogs also have political rabies, which can ultimately kill your career. In the case of Emanuel, I suspect that President Obama could find a chief of staff who knows how to be tough without also being tasteless.

To be fair to Emanuel, his mistake was an easy one to make. Many of us hear words like "retarded" and "midget" without knowing that they can be offensive to others. So, in spite of the fact that I have always been turned off by Emanuel's crude approaches to protecting the president, I personally think that this might be a good teachable moment for all of us.

In a joint statement from Shriver and five other disability advocates who spoke with Emanuel at the White House, Emanuel "sincerely apologized for his mistake and the pain it caused in our community." Additionally, he signed an online pledge to make the "R word" obsolete. "We are thankful to Mr. Emanuel for meeting with us today and hearing our concerns," the statement said. "Our community has earned the right to be respected instead of ridiculed. We have suffered injustice for generations, and we are demanding that it end," the advocates stated. "This is another small step on the road to a country that accepts the gifts of all."

Of course, the Republicans chose to politicize the issue. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has a son with Down syndrome, called for the president to fire Emanuel. She claimed that using the word "retarded" was equivalent to using the N-word.

"Yes, Rahm is known for his caustic, crude references about those with whom he disagrees, but his recent tirade against participants in a strategy session was such a strong slap in many American faces that our president is doing himself a disservice by seeming to condone Rahm's recent sick and offensive tactic," Palin stated. Palin went on to say: "Rahm's slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities -- and the people who love them -- is unacceptable, and it's heartbreaking."

I always wonder why everyone who suffers an injustice compares themselves to black people? Can't they compare themselves to someone else? I wonder why she doesn't compare her plight to the experience of Jews in Nazi Germany. Just an open thought. I really wonder what the readers think about this. Either way, Sarah Palin is not necessarily a good source for intelligent commentary, so I'll just leave it at that.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered to your e-mail, please click here.