Comedian Michael Richards has a problem of sorts.

But if you buy his explanation of a recent racist rant, then you're just as dumb as he thinks you are.

Richards, best known for his role as the eccentric neighbor Kramer on the sitcom Seinfeld, lost his cool at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles when two black audience members interrupted his comedy routine.

His response, dubbed by the media as a "racist tirade," included assorted profane language and multiple uses of a certain racial epithet. But since his Nov. 17 rant, Richards has publicly apologized, saying that his comments came out of anger, not bigotry.

But while the argument can be made that his outburst was a result of anger, those same bigoted comments did come from Richards, and no one else.

Although only 100 or so people witnessed the event live, the magic of cell phone video cameras and the genius of YouTube made it possible for the world to hear what Richards says he did not mean to say.

But perhaps Richards did not mean to say such racist remarks because he did not think anyone outside of the audience would ever hear them.

His first public appearance came last Monday on The Late Show with David Letterman via satellite from Los Angeles. Longtime friend Jerry Seinfeld brought Richards on the show for a live interview, which resembled more of a train wreck than a discussion. Richards appeared shocked and dismayed by his actions, and at times, had trouble forming coherent sentences.

But just three days earlier he had no trouble at all forming coherent sentences.

And on Sunday, he appeared on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's nationally syndicated radio program, "Keep Hope Alive," in an effort to make amends with all black people by simply apologizing to Jackson.

During his interview, Richards explained that he has not used such language previously.

"That's why I'm shattered by it," he said. "The way this came through me was like a freight train. After it was over, when I went to look for them, they had gone. And I've tried to meet them, to talk to them, to get some healing."

And it seems as though he has wasted no time trying to get that "healing."

According to a Nov. 26 Associated Press article, Howard Rubenstein, Richards' publicist, said Richards is undergoing psychiatric counseling to control his anger and understand his reaction last week.

But rather than spending thousands of dollars on therapists who will tell him the same thing, Richards would be wise to accept the truth and simply move on: He is a racist.

There is no question about it.

Whether he meant to say them or not, racist remarks directed at two black men came out of his mouth. If he had any shred of decency left in him, he would have confronted the issue head-on and admitted that, although he may have been previously unaware, he does harbor at least some racial bias.

An acknowledgement of that kind most likely would have earned him more respect from black people than putting forth some shallow claim that he didn't know he was racist and that maybe some overpriced Hollywood shrink can make him a tolerant person.

Fortunately the public does not seem to be buying his inadequate apology.

As of Sunday night, six versions of the tirade posted on YouTube had been viewed a combined total of 2.5 million times, compared to only three videos of his apologies, which had just under one million views.

Black people aren't stupid, but Richards seems to think they are. He has concocted the most pathetic of all excuses and apologized to Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton as if they represent all of the people he offended.

I'm sure Richards is just doing what he thinks is best for his fading career, but he could be doing so much more for society by simply admitting his biases and letting the rest of the country create an open, public dialogue concerning this age-old conflict.