Pity the Poor Governor, or, What is that Sea Called?

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe faces the sort of problem politicians hate, in which circumstances beyond his control --in this case the ancient animosity between Korea and Japan -- are forcing him into a corner where he has to make somebody mad:

The Virginia House and Senate passed bills this year requiring that new public school textbooks note that the Sea of Japan is also known as the East Sea, but both are awaiting action by the other chamber. Korean Americans in Northern Virginia, who consider the “Sea of Japan” designation a painful relic of Japanese occupation, have pushed for the measure. Japan strongly opposes the change, suggesting in a letter from its ambassador that the legislation could threaten business relations with the commonwealth.

McAuliffe, who offered Korean American activists a written promise to back the measure during last year’s campaign, has found himself caught between a vital voting bloc and one of the state’s biggest trading partners.

But wait! McAuliffe may well be saved by our own version of the unsolvable ethnic problem:

Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) said Sunday that she intends to let the House version die in the committee she leads. Monday is the last day for such legislation to get out of committee before the session’s scheduled conclusion Saturday. Lucas sees the bill as an attempt to cater to the concerns of Korean Americans and opposes it because she thinks the legislature has not shown a similar sensitivity to African Americans. “There was a time when we had made some suggestions by way of legislation that there be some information put into the history books about African Americans and other ethnic groups and the answer was always no,” Lucas said. “So my concern is, why aren’t we consistent?”

Why aren't we consistent indeed.