Poker legend Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson is taking some heat after publicly announcing that he voted for John McCain for President.

Some are even calling him a racist for not voting for Barack Obama.

Unfortunately for Brunson, he’s just making the matter worse by resorting to a tried and true racist response to such charges.

Like the bigot who lamely denies racism by exclaiming, “Some of my best friends are black,” Brunson is similarly trying to dodge the charges by exclaiming, “I’ve had black friends all my life.”

In a blog (online diary) that Brunson maintains at the online poker room he shills, Doyles Room (www.doylesroom.com), he revealed after the U.S. Presidential election that he voted for McCain for President.

Now, in his latest blog entry, “Texas Dolly” says he’s being accused of racism for that vote.

Brunson writes: “My daughter called me about a thread on 2×2 (a poker-themed online posting forum for public comments) about me voting for McCain. According to some of them, I’m a racist and am going to Hell because I did so.

“What a sick topic on which to start a thread on a public forum. First, I’m about as far away from being a racist as you can get. I’ve had black friends all my life, and I mean really good friends. That was back before it was ‘fashionable’ to have blacks as friends.

“And if I go to hell, it won’t be because I voted McCain. I guess it was only Democrats that posted and they blasted me for being a Republican.”

So if it wasn’t skin color that determined Brunson’s choice for President, what was it?

Later on in the blog, Brunson explains why he voted for McCain over Obama: “They say Obama is a poker player. Has anyone seen him play? Has anyone seen him on the inside of a casino? Supposedly, John McCain shot craps for 30 hours in a Las Vegas casino and I heard he said Internet gambling wasn’t a priority of his.

“McCain isn’t George W. Bush and that is how everybody judged him. I knew when I voted that Obama was going to win the election. I enjoy pulling for the underdog…I’m not backing off from supporting McCain. But I’m not entirely against Obama, either.

“McCain is a genuine American hero and has experience and leadership qualities. I was concerned about Reverend Wright, Obama’s spiritual leader for 20 years, Obama’s inexperience and his choice of association with controversial people. Anyone who doesn’t share those concerns is lacking in brain cells.”

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)