When Rev. Al Sharpton announced that he was thinking seriously of making a run for the White House last year, you could hear mainstream America laughing as if they were watching Chris Rock do his thing. The idea of a conk-wearing Black man becoming president of the most powerful nation in the world even made the Republic’s angry White men smile. And, surely, we wouldn’t be telling it like it is, if we didn’t include most African- Americans, who would consider Sharpton’s presidential campaign a comedy routine.

On the other hand, African-American News&Issues is on record as publishing what we consider a very positive article about Sharpton, who definitely isn’t the joke that the mainstream media does it’s best to make him out to be. As we explained in our May 30-June 5, 2001 article (“Why shouldn’t Al Sharpton run for president”), when you stop looking at Sharpton and start listening to what he says, you have to conclude he is no dummy. In 2002 America’s political climate, Sharpton has just as much of a chance of becoming president as Colin Powell. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if Rev. Al got the last laugh at HBO.

“I will not bend, buckle or bow to a smear campaign,” he told CNN after he followed up on his threat to file a $1 billion lawsuit, when HBO alleged refused to air an unedited version of a tape. The tape aired on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” on July 23, 2002. It showed Sharpton talking to an FBI operative posing as a drug dealer. The segment was about Michael Franzese, a former Colombian crime family boss who organized gambling for pro athletes, according to HBO and Sharpton just happened to be included.

In a written statement issued on July 23, HBO spokesman Ray Stallone said, “We believe we have an informative segment airing on “Real Sports’ that is focused on telling the Michael Franzese story. HBO Sports stands by its reporting.”  Sharpton said the conversation was taped as part of a government investigation. For some reason the FBI thought Sharpton would tell them whether or not boxing promoter Don King had ties in organized crime. Sharpton as threatened, filed the lawsuit the following day, seeking $1 billion in punitive and compensatory damages against HBO, charging “defamation with malice and gross irresponsibility, ” according to Sanford Rubenstein, Sharpton’s attorney.  The tape in question was recorded 19 years ago. Sharpton told the Associated Press that the tape conversation dated to 1983, when self-described mobster Michael Franzese and an undercover FBI agent posing as a Latin American businessman approached him to discuss promoting boxing matches and musical events.

You can bet Sharpton will use the incident to his advantage and already has alleged that the tape was played to discourage him from running for president in 2003. “We have elected one president who smoked pot and didn’t inhale. Another one that was arrested drunk driving. I certainly would run as one who was able to not be stung by those that propose a crime to me,” Sharpton said.

Meanwhile, before you start thinking Sharpton isn’t a real civil rights leader, you should check out his National Action Network (NAN) web site (www.nationalactionnetwork.org) and see what he has been doing since he organized the advocacy in 1991. Although membership numbers weren’t available, Sharpton’s organization has expanded into 16 states and has has become a respected spokesman for Black America when it comes to issues of racism and injustices. NAN chapters are in New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Nevada, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Connecticut, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas. The Texas chairman is Houston’s Rev. Jimmy Dixon.

Sharpton said he filed the suit not just for himself, but also for people around the country “who have been victimized by dirty tricks.” Others named in the suit filed in New York State Supreme Court are HBO Real Sports; HBO’s parent company, AOL Time Warner (which is also the parent of CNN); reporter Bernard Goldberg, the journalist who reported story; and Michael Franzese. If anybody thinks Sharpton’s lawsuit is a joke, they certainly aren’t laughing at it. Meanwhile, it is highly possibly Rev. Al Sharpton will get the last laugh, as he has been known to do in the past.