You know what offends George Harris? (Oh, sorry: Harris is a Republican party operative who has an almost unbroken record of failures in Nevada politics.)

Anyway, you know what offends him? Racism, that’s what!

Harris is quoted in John L. Smith’s column in the Review-Journal today, objecting to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s alleged refusal to consider putting a qualified Muslim in his cabinet.

(Apparently, Romney told would-be Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Mansoor Ijaz at a Henderson fundraiser that he’d not consider Muslims for national security positions. Romney denies making the remark, but he’s made so many remarks on both sides of all issues that we’re pretty sure dude said it.)

Anyway, Ijaz is a friend of Harris, so Harris asked Romney at a Lawry’s luncheon if he’d appoint a qualified Muslim to his cabinet. Romney replied: "Probably not."

"I was angry because it was such a dumb answer," Harris said. He walked away from the lunch, writes Smith, "believing a Romney administration would mean ‘Muslims need not apply.’"

Oh, snap! Watch out, Romney! You’ve got Nevada’s answer to Al Sharpton on your ass now!

The only thing is this: Harris is the publisher of an obscure journal known as Liberty Watch, which features the most openly and virulently racist columnist in all of Las Vegas, one Kenric Ward. Ward, writing from 92.7 percent white Vero Beach, Fla., has written sadly about the outcome of the Civil War, repeatedly hammered Mexican immigrants and fondly wished for the South to rise again.

So if Harris is so angered by Romney’s refusal to even consider putting a Muslim in his cabinet, why the hell does he continue to publish Ward’s racist rants? Free speech? Oh, that’s right, we forgot: Harris is also a huge ACLU crusader, too!

Or maybe he’s just a pathetic loser who found the one sympathetic ear in all of Las Vegas journalism who would paint him as somebody who actually cares about discrimination, and who wouldn’t bring up the Ward issue.

Yeah, that’s it.