Al Sharpton, who has been getting skewered in the press lately over federal investigations into his tax-paying-habits and a recent article that alleges he took bribes from major corporations in exchange for going easy on them for their race practices. He has now challenged one of the reporters of the latter story, Isabel Vincent on the New York Post, to an on-air debate.

"The New York Post continues its efforts to undermine the civil rights movement with articles that mislead the public," National Action Network VP Rachel Noerdlinger said in a statement. "The New York Post reporter Isabel Vincent writes an article entitled "Sharpton Shakedown; Boycotted CEOs write checks to Rev. Al," even though the article had no evidence of shakedowns or corporations claiming that their contributions to NAN were in any way coerced or intended to buy silence."

Vincent, along with reporter Susan Edelman, wrote: "Almost 50 companies - including PepsiCo, General Motors, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Continental Airlines, Johnson & Johnson and Chase - and some labor unions sponsored Sharpton's National Action Network annual conference in April. Terrified of negative publicity, fearful of a consumer boycott or eager to make nice with the civil-rights activist, CEOs write checks, critics say, to NAN and Sharpton - who brandishes the buying power of African-American consumers. In some cases, they hire him as a consultant."

So far, Vincent has not commented on Sharpton's request to debate what he calls shoddy reporting and false accusations on his national radio show. And… she probably won't. I wouldn't want to debate a pissed-off Sharpton, either.