Maybe it's not an empire when you're just keeping the coloreds in line

Apropos of Huckabee Hound's latest "Obama grew up in Kenya" dog-whistle -- hey, is it really a dog-whistle if the rest of us can hear it too? -- Andrew Sullivan finds himself puzzled:

And as a Brit, I have to say I find it remarkable to hear Americans of all people deny that the British Empire was, in fact, imperialist. Well, wasn't it? I mean: how else would you describe British rule in Kenya? Enhanced occupation techniques?