No one should be surprised that radio talk show host Don Imus has again found himself mired in racial controversy.

Imus, fired from MSNBC and CBS radio in April 2007 after making racially insensitive remarks about members of the Rutgers women's basketball team, returned to the airwaves months ago with a pledge to heal the hurt caused by his remarks. Imus had referred to the Rutgers team as "nappy-headed hos."

If anyone doubted Imus' intent and view of blacks after that episode, there should be no question following his more recent remarks.

During a Monday broadcast as part of his new gig with a New York station, Imus showed his true colors in commenting on an NFL football player who's been in trouble with the law.

Addressing suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones' legal problems, Imus asked: "What color is he?" Sports announcer Warner Wolf said Jones is "African-American," to which Imus responded: "There you go. Now we know."

To make matters worse, Imus later launched into damage control in claiming he didn't mean it the way it sounded. Rather, he said, he was making a sarcastic point about Jones' skin color because blacks are arrested in disproportionate numbers. In other words, he was empathizing with Jones.

Right. If that were true, Imus surely would have followed up, after asking the color of Jones' skin, by expounding on his supposed belief about racial profiling. He didn't, and no doubt because that thought was nowhere in his mind.

His record of racist comments proves as much.

Imus' backpedaling was more in tune with someone who realizes his deep-seated racial prejudices could spell an end, once and for all, to his broadcasting career.

That's not to say he should be fired for remarks that are offensive. As annoying as Imus' racially insensitive comments may be, he has a right to say them. Even sick humor is worthy of First Amendment protection.

At some point, however, Imus' employers will find it no longer economically advantageous to keep him on the air. The question is how much advertisers and listeners will tolerate from someone who continues to go too far, at a time we desperately need more intelligent, thoughtful discourse.