John McCain hates "Gooks".

It's an old story, eight years old to be exact.  Suddenly thrust back up.

www.SFGate.come (website for the San Francisco Chronicle) didn't expect it.  Having to note why it suddenly appeared on the site again today this way.

(Editor's Note: This article was published on Feb. 18, 2000. In January 2008, at least two national web sites posted links to it. As a result, it appeared in the list of SFGate's Most Read articles.)

One of those sites was Drudge and now there are BBS boards buzzing about this.  Odds are the net will make this enough of an issue to warrant McCain having to address it, if not then you can bet the Democrats have been reminded to bring this up.

Here is what then candidate McCain said on his campaign bus in South Carolina in 2000.

"I hate the gooks," McCain said yesterday in response to a question from reporters aboard his campaign bus. "I will hate them as long as I live."

Since he didn't win the nomination this apparently was a forgotten issue that melted away beneath a billion web pages since.  But not far enough obviously because, it's back.

From the original story.

"The use of a racist slur can't be acceptable for any national leader, regardless of his background," said Diane Chin, executive director of the San Francisco-based Chinese for Affirmative Action. "For someone running for president not to recognize the power of words is a problem."

"Historically, straight talkers who say things off the top of their heads eventually hang themselves with those sorts of remarks," said Bruce Cain, a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley.

"While it might not hurt him now, Democrats are not going to have any hesitation about using this stuff to string him up later." 

If Sen. McCain had been captured by Nigerians, could he call those people `niggers' and think he wasn't going to offend everyone who is black?" Akoi asked. "We can all feel for what he went through, but if that's his level of sensitivity, I'm very disappointed."

"I will call right now, my interrogator that tortured me, a gook," McCain said. "(I can't believe that) anybody doesn't believe these interrogators and prison guards were cruel and sadistic people who deserve the worst appellations possible."

McCain said he does not consider the comment an epithet. "Gook," he said, "is the kindest appellation I can give."

(San Francisco Chronicle page A1 February 18, 2000)

Without arguing whether McCain, as a torture victim in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton", has any right to use whatever description of his captors he choses you can bet that there will be questions regarding this and any potential larger scope of his language.

A forgotten slur dredged up becomes an issue.  Some will say he played a 'card' in this statement and what we wait to see is if another 'card' is played against him on this.