澳彩开奖

Miss Scarlett, the 鈥淪outhern Avenger鈥� has surrendered.

On Sunday, Jack Hunter, a close aide to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, announced he had resigned from the Kentucky Republican鈥檚 Washington staff and views, such as toasting the birthday every year of President Lincoln鈥檚 assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

The resignation came despite Paul鈥檚 outspoken defense of his aide, in which the senator claimed that there was 鈥渘o evidence鈥� that Hunter had exhibited any bigoted beliefs or behavior.

As a right-wing columnist and radio pundit in his native South Carolina, Hunter would often don a mask resembling a Confederate flag during public appearances and billed himself the 鈥淪outhern Avenger.鈥�

While in his 20s, the now 39-year-old Hunter was a chairman in the , labeled a neo-Confederate hate group by the 澳彩开奖.

But in an E-mail Sunday to The Daily Caller News Foundation announcing his resignation, Hunter said he had adopted 鈥渁 more tolerant worldview.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檝e long been a conservative, and years ago, a much more politically incorrect (and campy) one,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 a significant difference between being a politically incorrect and racist. I鈥檝e also become far more libertarian over the years, a philosophy that encourages a more tolerant worldview, through the lens of which I now look back on some of my older comments with embarrassment.鈥�

Hunter told The Daily Caller, a right-wing website run by one-time TV pundit Tucker Carlson, that he resigned to avoid being a distraction for Paul 鈥渁nd to clear his own name, which he argues is now unfairly associated with racism.鈥�

He also wants to resume his career as a pundit 鈥� without the mask or the moniker.

The firestorm was ignited by a conservative online news journal, The Washington Free Beacon, which wrote The story was called 鈥淩ebel Yell.鈥�

The revelations of Hunter鈥檚 past and the reaction to it prompted some soul searching on the radical right. Michael Hill, the increasingly militant head of the League of the South,

鈥淛ust so there鈥檚 no chance you鈥檒l confuse The League with the GOP or any other 鈥榗onservative鈥� group,鈥� Hill said in a statement quoted on the white nationalist Occidental Dissent website, 鈥渉ere鈥檚 what we stand for: The survival, well being, and independence of the Southern people. And by 鈥榯he Southern people,鈥� we mean White Southerners who are not afraid to stand for the people of their race and religion.鈥�

A few days before Hunter announced his resignation, Michael Gerson, a columnist for The Washington Post and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, .

The headline on the July 18 column was, 鈥淩and Paul can never be a mainstream Republican.鈥�

鈥淩and Paul has fallen spectacularly off the tightrope,鈥� Gerson wrote, adding that Hunter鈥檚 past views and words were not just 鈥測outh and stuff,鈥� as Paul put it, but 鈥渁 decade spent mainlining moonlight and magnolias in the ruins of Tara.鈥�

Hunter co-wrote Paul鈥檚 2011 book, The Tea Party Goes to Washington, and joined the senator鈥檚 staff in 2012 as social media director. His close association with Paul could hurt Paul鈥檚 rumored presidential ambitions for 2016, Gerson said.

鈥淲hat does this mean for the GOP?鈥� Gerson wrote. 鈥淚t is a reminder that, however reassuring his manner, it is impossible for Rand Paul to join the Republican mainstream. The triumph of his ideas and movement would fundamentally shift the mainstream and demolish a century and a half of Republican political history.鈥�

Run, Rand. Run.