Even if there was a racist slur thrown its meaningless. The constitution grants the same rights to racists as it does anyone else.
Beyond that it was pure distraction.
You have it there. The tactic used by the Dems was distraction.
Keep everyone concentrating on something (whether it happened or not), get everyone talking about it (apologizing and denouncing and what-not) ...
while the President and Stupak were working out the backroom deal.
Dem politics at it finest. Smoke and Mirrors that the American public always seems to fall for.