Tom McClintock's campaign to replace outgoing Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) has hit a snag on the revelation that some old friends may still hold a burning cross for him.

And, yes, I do mean the Ku Klux Klan…

Republican Tom McClintock, who is running for an open California seat against Democrat Charlie Brown, surely would have preferred that the KKK not endorse him for governor in 2003.

Democrats are resurrecting that endorsement to play against McClintock, who hopes to win the seat being vacated by Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.).

The endorsement came via press release during McClintock's gubernatorial campaign against Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gary Coleman. It stated, among other things…

The Imperial Klans of America, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (IKA) have announced their full support for Tom McClintock's bid for the governorship of California. Their support is announced in what they term "the lesser of all evil candidates."…

The IKA is a non-profit, Whites' civil rights organization. It is dedicated to the unification, preservation and advancement of White Christian America.

Of course McClintock's problems go far beyond embarrassing endorsements. To begin with, he doesn't live anywhere near the Congressional district; he's from Thousand Oaks, roughly 500 miles to the southwest.

He's also running against someone named Charlie Brown, who is such a loveable loser that surely the voters will see it in their hearts to let him be a Congressman… or at least to kick the football.

But the KKK endorsement may be the final straw. If it kills his candidacy in California, McClintock should consider carpet-bagging to Colorado's 4th Congressional District, which isn't that much further away from Thousand Oaks than where he's running now.

Out there, Rep. Marilyn Musgrave has managed to ride the Klan's endorsement all the way to Capitol Hill.