Imagine my surprise to discover that white supremacist blogger Robert Stacy McCain has cravenly refused Barrett Brown’s challenge: Stacy McCain Finally Acknowledges, Declines My Offer to Debate.

And in classic Stacy McCain style, he throws in an ugly smear while running away.

McCain uses his post as an opportunity to deploy – for the third time, by my count – a jokey jibe in reference to the fact that my upcoming book singles out for criticism several commentators of Jewish background:

Speaking of which, I’m told that Barrett Brown loved Avatar. Not that he’s a racist. But he does suck. Be sure to look for his book, People That Barrett Brown Doesn’t Like (Mainly Jews), coming soon to a clearance bin near you.

Fair enough. I e-mailed McCain this afternoon in hopes of finally getting him to at least acknowledge that I had challenged him to an e-mail exchange whereby he would have the chance to shoot down the various accusations that have been made against him by Charles Johnson and myself before they go into my soon-to-be-completed book on the American punditry. As I wrote:

Regarding your most recent mention of me, I knew Avatar was going to suck as soon as I saw the first preview.

If you have the time to write blog posts about how poorly my book is going to do and how much I dislike the Jews, then surely you have the time to respond to my offer, even if only to decline it.

McCain responded as follows:

“Offer”? As if you were the soul of generosity, and I in need of your philanthropy. Do your work, do it well, collect your pay and knock it off with the humanitarian posturing. You’ve never done an unselfish act in your life, and by pretending otherwise, you undermine your own credibility. Better to be honestly selfish than to be falsely charitable.

To which I responded in turn:

The word “offer” does not necessarily entail anything positive at all, much less anything along the lines of “charity” or “generosity.” Notice that I have used the term interchangeably with “challenge” and that I originally compared it to a duel, for instance. I am not extending this offer as any sort of good deed, although to the extent that you are actually in the right, such an offer as this would indeed be to your benefit. I am extending it to you for the same reason that you are declining it – because I would win any such exchange.

I’ve yet to hear back.