Barack Obama - The Opposite of Dr. King's Dream

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC

Now that Barack Hussein Obama is the prospective nominee, a sickening trend I noticed a long time ago is coming even more to the forefront. People are focusing on the color of his skin rather the content of his character.

The standard line is 'oh, isn't it wonderful that here in America we have a black candidate for president!'

Among the people gushing in this fashion are Condi Rice, Peggy Noonan, John Lewis and a host of others. They should be embarrassed and it makes me want to hurl.

The idea that a presidential candidate should be celebrated or exalted simply because of his race rather than his accomplishments or character is about as contrary to Dr. King's vision as can be.

It smacks of the days of set asides, quotas and affirmative action focused solely on ethnic background rather than a color-blind meritocracy of accomplishment.

It also gives credence to the idea of America as a hotbed of rabid racism, with the idea that it is something absolutely astounding that a black man, however qualified could be nominated and run for president in America. The European press has been particularly odious in this regard.

Obviously they weren't around when Colin Powell could have had the Republican nomination for the asking.

Another problem I have with this line of thinking is its obvious corollary...if you're an American who isn't black and you vote against Obama, obviously you must be racist, no? And of course, if you're say, a white Leftist who maybe has some hidden 'discomfort' on the rare occasions when you come into contact with black folks in your everyday life, you can mask or even cover for those feelings by voting for the black candidate and be able to say 'hey I'm no racist, I voted for Obama.'

Of course a number of them will be saying one thing in public and another in the privacy of the voting booth.

I have a feeling that come November, if everyone who loudly claims to have voted for Obama really did, McCain will be left with maybe 25% of the vote. Watch for some very interesting distortions in the early exit polls that will make 2004 look meticulously accurate by comparison.

Obama's campaign has skillfully played the race card almost since its beginnings and will continue use this white guilt to the utmost, because it works. No one will have the guts to ask the question: if non-blacks who vote against Barack Obama simply because he's black are characterized as racist, how would you characterize black people who are voting for him for exactly the same reason?

The ironic thing about Obama being characterized as the Great Black Hope is that he doesn't have an ounce of black American heritage in him, being half white, at least one third Arab and maybe one sixth African. Nor does he have any discernible qualifications to be president except for the ability to do a bang up job reading off a teleprompter. But to a number of his supporters both white and black, it is simply skin color that matters.

Rather than a milestone, this is a major step backwards for race relations in America. If Obama wins, the sort of racial politics his administration will likely promote will poison the water for a future, far more qualified black American candidate. If he loses, it will be the Evil White Man's fault to a fair number of his black supporters.

It's a damn shame.