It could be very easy to chalk this up as simply something stupid done when someone was "young and foolish" in a time when this was the norm. But thinking back to the early 90's, if something similar had been said in public by a politician there would have have been a like uproar. Seventeen years ago was not the "dark ages" and acceptable public behaviour did not include racist, homophobic or misogynist comments. While the internet, cellular phone cameras and other technology that can almost instantly broadcast your most embarrassing moments worldwide were not there in the early 90's, more than one celebrity , politician, police department or military (can anyone say Somalia) had been embarrassed by video of compromising behaviour.
As well, what does such behaviour say about a man, who was then 39 or 40 years old, who, though not yet elected to office, had many years experience in the political arena. It is said that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Obviously no one taught that old dog any usefull tricks, even when he was young.
