American Notes CONGRESS

When House minority leader Robert H. Michel went high-stepping down memory lane last week, he wound up in the brier patch. In a televised interview, the Illinois Republican embellished a fond recollection of Amos 'n' Andy -- the old radio show denounced by civil rights organizations for its stereotypical portrayals of blacks -- with an eye-rolling imitation of the character Kingfish. Then he allowed that "it's too bad" that schoolchildren can no longer don blackface and appear in minstrel shows. Finally he lamented the practice of changing racially offensive lyrics in songs like Ol' Man River, likening it to Soviet rewriting of history books. Said Michel: "That doesn't wash well with me." After a howl of protest from black leaders, Michel apologized. "My regret is even more profound," said he, "because I believe my public record of over 32 years as a Congressman is without the slightest blot of bigotry or racial insensitivity." True enough, until last week.