When Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York City, racial polarization was sadly his forte. After an unnarmed, African-American off-duty security guard named Patrick Dorismund was shot by the police, after refusing to buy drugs from undercover officers, Giuliani didn't call for an investigation.

He instead unsealed Dorismund's juvenile record to disclose, perhaps illegally, that he had been arrested at age 13. He also gratuitously insulted the victim to the press, telling New Yorkers that Dorisumund was "no altar boy" (in fact he had been an altar boy).

Well some habits just die hard.

Giuliani, along with the other three "top tier" GOP presidential candidates, refused to appear in a debate hosted by Tavis Smiley, at historically black Morgan State University in Baltimore, to talk about issues important to the African-American community.

Of these four GOPers auditioning for the Strom Thurmond Award For Racial Reconciliation, perhaps the most insulting explanation for a non-appearance was provided by Giuliani, who was too busy accepting the endorsement of former California Governor Pete Wilson in the Sunhine State to attend (and raising $2300 a pop from the likes of screen legend Bo Derek!).

Wilson, of course, is the man largely responsible for turning the GOP toward immigrant-bashing with his support of Proposition 187 in Calofornia in 1994, which would have denied non-U.S. citizens living here basic services such as schooling and access to emergency medical treatment.

He also enthusiastically joined the anti-affirmative action brigade, setting his party back among both African American and Hispanic voters in California a generation, and effectively turning the home of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan into a blue state.

Giuliani could not have provided a better statement of what he stands for in his quest to become President.

John McCain, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson all also cited scheduling conflicts for why they are unable to attend. McCain, for example, claimed to be too busy giving a speech on Iraq and raising money before the third-quarter tallies are provided.

In other words, he will be busy working to further convince Americans that the disproportionately minority-filled military should keep fighting an endless war based on lies that is getting them killed.

Mitt Romney's spokesman, Kevin Madden, reminded us that his candidate has "a very heavy travel schedule" that apparently doesn't include travel to locations where non-whites are located.

Finally, recent entree into the race, Fred Thompson, proved his late start will not stop him from being just as inconsiderate of the African-American community has his fellow Republicans. The Thompson Campaign, as far as I can tell, didn't even bother to provide a reason for not showing up. He did, howver, definitely knew about this debate well ahead of time:

According to Smiley, the Thompson campaign knew about the debate - taking place at 9 pm on September 27 at Morgan State University- well before he declared his candidacy. Former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman chose the date because it worked best for all the potential candidates, Smiley said.

All of this comes on the heels of the top-tier Republican candidates', save John McCain, rejecting a debate that was to be hosted by Spanish-language television station, Univision, so that it had to be cancelled.

Many Republicans, including Newt Gingrich, former Lt. Governor Michael Steele and former vice-presidential candidate Jack Kemp questioned these decisions, with the latter even invoking the spectre of future Republican meetings being held in "a country club."

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, hip hop artist Kanye West made what is some quarters was treated as a shocking declaration: "George W. Bush doesn't care about black people."

Little did he know, that in the near future, Republican presidential candidates would be jumping to their feet to proclaim, in the words of Bachman Turner Overdrive, "you ain't seen nothing yet."