Wheres the rose between his teeth? - Journalists couldn’t resist unleashing tired ethnic innuendos after Villaraigosa admitted his affair.

“LAST WEEK, I got a phone call from a television news producer who asked me what Mayor Antonio Villaraigosas extramarital affair revealed about the nature of Latino political leadership. I told her Id agree to be interviewed on air only if we could explore what Bill Clintons dalliances said about white people or Jesse Jacksons fling with an aide told us about black activists. Dumbfounded, she asked if I could refer her to someone else.

Remember two short years ago, when The Times rhapsodized on the front page about Villaraigosas electoral triumph? His victory party was described in glorious terms, “with downtown skyscrapers as a backdrop and lavender jacaranda trees glowing under lights shining from the rooftop.” Ah, yes, this Latino mayor, who promised to “govern for all Angelenos,” was expected to usher in an era of ethnic cooperation. “

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