The Great White Hope

Some of the most poignant words of the last century came from the unlikely source of Rodney King, the black man beaten on video by white cops which triggered race riots in the 1990‘s: "Can't we all just get along?"

Throughout history, the answer to that question has clearly been no. No how, no way.

Not that a lot of people don't want that to change. And they're not all black. Not by a long shot. If you could harness liberal white guilt as a power source, we could afford to tell the Middle East what they can do with their $100 a barrel oil.

Barack Obama is without question a very able and skilled politician. He's run an extremely effective campaign against the leading brand name political machine in the democratic party and he's winning. He's also a first term senator with two years of national political experience.

Why is saying suggesting that race has something to do with his success a racist statement? Could it not rather be an expression of our collective desire to take a giant step forward in trying to put our nation's tortured race problems behind us?

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to run as her the democratic party's candidate for Vice President made it clear what she thinks.

"If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position," Ferraro told the Daily Breeze of Torrance, California, "and if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."

The rise of Jack Kennedy with a similar background suggests that the nation is willing to swoon over young, good looking, articulate politicians with scant experience regardless of race. (How much experience Hillary Clinton really has is another legitimate question.)

The notion (to use a word Obama is fond of) that part of the reason so many people of all ethnic backgrounds support Obama is partially that electing a black guy president would represent such a monumental departure from our history and that's one reason why he's done so well perhaps should not be so quickly dismissed without further consideration.

Hillary Clinton said inm response to Ferraro‘s statements, "I do not agree with that, it's regrettable that any of our supporters — on both sides, because we both have this experience — say things that kind of veer off into the personal. We ought to keep this on the issues. there are differences between us" on approaches to health care, energy, experience.”

Obama senior adviser David Axelrod said Ferraro should be removed from her position with the Clinton campaign because of her comments.

"The bottom line is this, when you wink and nod at offensive statements, you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes. There's no other way to send a serious signal that you want to police the tone of this campaign, and if you don't do those things then you are simply adding to the growing compendium of evidence that you really are encouraging that."

In the video clip below, Ferraro, a Fox News commentator, stood by her comments on the network today.

Alas, the more she talks, the less sense she makes, but she raises an interesting point. If we are going begin to move beyond seeing racial dynamics everywhere, we shouldn't be afraid to discuss the issue in a candid manner.