On Obama and race

Excellent . I think your two most telling points are: 1) the FACT, that had not the Black Democratic elite not jumped behind Clinton, then Obama would have been pigeon-holed as the Black candidate; and 2) He will be a President who happens to be Black. Recently, I've had discussions about Obama's origin's and his "Blackness."

First off, I never got into those discussions ever, and when I used to hear those (back when Rush Limbaugh called him a 'half-rican), I would avoid them. But an interesting point was raised: Since Obama is not a "descendant of slaves," his non-threatening demeanor and further prevents him from making whites feel guilty. Additionally, there has long been a different regard for Africans from the continent and "indigenous" North American Africans by whites.