'ENORMOUS GOODWILL'

Mexico's decision to issue postage stamps bearing a cartoon caricature of a black child set off a furor among African American activists in the U.S.

Problem is, the more people attempt to defend it — including President Vicente Fox — the more ridiculous they appear.

Fox himself, an admitted longtime fan of the comic, told AP that the stamp recognizes a "character very loved in Mexico and that has absolutely nothing discriminatory about it ... And it appears to me that it has provoked a great national unity, because those who are making opinions from outside don't have information."

Wow.

But it doesn't stop there. Novelist Elena Poniatowska, described as "a noted supporter of leftist causes" was quoted calling the criticisms "absurd."

"In our country, the image of black people is one of enormous goodwill, which is reflected not only in characters like Memin Pinguin, but in popular songs ... like 'Little Black Watermelon.'"

It's almost as if they've borrowed arguments come from the Bush administration handbook of irony, from which we've heard such ironic terms as Clean Skies Initiative and "Mission Accomplished."

Anti-reality tends to catch up to its practicioners, even south of the border, I'd bet.