Editorial: Kirk's slips of the tongue help us see past the politician's veneer

"A bro with no ho."

Yep, he said it.

Not your teenage son talking about a buddy without a prom date or a rap artist who peppers his lyrics with "hos."

It was uttered by a 55-year-old Republican U.S. senator from Highland Park about fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, an unmarried presidential candidate.

It was caught in one of those I-thought-the-mic-was-off moments during a roll-call vote.

And as one might expect, Kirk is taking some heat.

Kirk's opponent in the 2016 Senate race is Democratic Hoffman Estates congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.

Her spokeswoman called Kirk's comment "offensive" and "unfunny."

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner called it "inappropriate" Friday during a visit to Vernon Hills.

Kirk did apologize when asked about it, wisely not bothering to try to excuse what he said. His spokeswoman said he was merely joking with colleagues.

Of course he was. We're all guilty of joking around with colleagues.

But most of us aren't relying on the support of a majority of Illinois voters to keep us employed.

You can divine whatever you'd like from his comment - whether he is disrespectful toward women or whether he's just a guy who's overshot his comedic ambitions - to help you formulate a broad view of Kirk.

Since returning to the Senate from his 2012 stroke, Kirk seems to have lost his filter, occasionally saying cringe-worthy things.

In April, he said he would no longer talk about race after a comment he made to the Peoria Journal-Star exploded in his face.

In discussing efforts to bolster entrepreneurship in the African-American community, he was quoted saying, "That would really adjust income differentials and make the diversity and outcome of the state much better so that the black community is not the one we drive faster through."

In January, Environment & Energy Daily reported that Kirk told them "political correctness took over climate science."

His staff later said that quote didn't accurately sum up his position on global warming.

Don't take this as an endorsement of Kirk's views, but we hope that you use these unvarnished comments to add texture to what you've already learned about Kirk's positions on the myriad important issues facing the nation and that you not base your opinions solely on such sound bytes.

We'd ask you to do the same with any candidate.

There is value in seeing beyond the carefully crafted veneer of a politician. Too often we don't get a glimpse of the person behind the image.