Mary Katharine Ham , in one of the very best single questions ever asked, proved herself to be very forward-thinking when she asked “WHAT IS THE POINT OF YOU, MARK HALPERIN?” To this day, no one can answer this question, but we all find ourselves asking it once again.

(If awkward racial conversations trigger you, do not play this clip.)

Halperin obsesses over [mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ]’s racial identity in a way that is entirely uncomfortable to watch. Watch as he transitions from “Did you list yourself as Hispanic when applying for college?” to “Do you have a favorite Cuban food?” to “Will you address your opponent en Espanol?” (that means “in Spanish” because Halperin is totally into the Hispanic scene and knows all the lingo). It is one of the most painful interviews I’ve ever watched, and I’ve seen the Frost/Nixon interview many times.

Cruz plays it off, because of course he does, and Halperin is left looking like a damn fool for asking such racially-tinged questions. Of course, it should come as no shock to anyone if Halperin isn’t slammed by the the media for his shenanigans. But imagine a Fox News host interviewing someone with this line of questioning? They’d lose their minds.

However, [mc_name name=’Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)’ chamber=’senate’ mcid=’C001098′ ] is the Enemy, and thus Halperin will probably get away with this interview, though I really and hope all Republican candidate laugh in his face if/when he invites them on (Carson and Rubio, especially). This is the kind of behavior that gets tolerate because no one holds these people accountable, and it sucks so much that we have to watch with either a dropped jaw or a painful grimace and know that this kind of thing will be allowed to stand.