Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

He shouldn't be forced to choose when he seems to walk comfortably in both cultures. Maybe we can be brought together as a nation and a people once and for all. It can be the final chapter of our Manifest Destiny.

In regards to Halle's mother.....her mother has openly stated that she has a "black" daughter and that the oscar win was in fact an important day for Black actresses! It was on Entertainment Tonight, or Access Hollywood the year she won. Sooooo even her mother knows how her daughter is viewed by society and the public. I'm sure Halle knows that she is the daugher of a White mother and a Black father.....but the way she is cast and the way she has been treated through out her life makes her speech very approapriate. Also, Is it not possible to be apart of both of those groups. You are treating Black and White as if they are mutually exclusive.....therefore reinforcing the racial beliefs that make her comments relevant. Your thought process is not devorced from the Race (-cial) catergorization racional that still present in the U.S. today.

But onto, Jackson and Obama.......

I understand Jackson's concerns and why he may be upset at Obama's speech – but, he shouldn't have been so careless as to say those things while mic-ed and on the air!!! I mean really! Is he going senile? He didn't say anything that hasn't already been said behind closed doors.....this includes the "castrating" comment. Some ppl are not happy at how Obama has to "walk the racial tightrope"......In a lot of ways he can't express how a demographi of the American people feel and how they are suffering becasue he himself belongs to that group. And that's frustrating to many ppl....including myself. I'm too young to remember Jesse's 1984 presidential bid and I vaguely remember his 1988 campaign. So I'm not apart of the Old guard, but I do feel that a lot of the Obama-mania is a bit strange. This is America, and I can tell that some of his supporters have NO IDEA how they themselves can help end racism completely. I don't think the future is promising.....not with this level of denile. Everyone is totally oblivious to the current state of race relations b/c we are like...."hey look, we are gonna elect a Black guy president....see racism doesn't exist, it can't if he become president – or – see he's our president we're not racist." We are F*CKING clueless!

Racial "healing" wont feel good...it wil make us uncomfortable! And we can't get over the racism of the past and present if we keep ingnoring it's relevance today (socially, economically, etc.). We have to talk about it and bring things to the table......and I hope that WHEN OBAMA BECOMES PRESIDENT :O) – we finally will.

The fact that Mr. Jackson want's to remove Mr. Obama's manhood is no suprise, after all Mr. Jackson could be included in the list of a "bitter person clinging to his religion" according to Mr. Obama.

Will the Secret Service be investigating the threat made against Mr .Obama, by Mr. Jackson

Denver, Colorado

Great commentary , yes I agree that Obama will still be viewed with suspicion by some, actually many, but the reality is the media left driven marketing strategy behind Obama is huge , has a great deal of dough to move the machine into overdrive, this movement that supports and molds Obama is almost foolproof, except you can't deceive too long , we've seen the cracks begin to emerge , his whole change" and change on many issues, FISA, NAFTA , gun controll , public financing, the list goes on, is only the double faced appearance that he has to show to gain the other sides votes, it is for the sole intent of gaining votes, the substance and reasoning behind his apparent switch on issues is phony, DUH, Once they make their White House goal , all hell will break loose, he will forget what he said , what he preached to the doubtful voters he managed to fool, we will then start to see goverment all over the place and in your face about everything. That's just a very tiny piece of a very large , very concerning future of our country.

Maritza

Throughout history, every white candidate has been accepted as a possible President of ALL Americans, why can't it be applied to Obama? Why is it so unconceivable that a Black man can run for the whole country?

This white person is saying it openly. Not "admitting" it, but STATING it.

"...some black voters will still believe he’s not committed enough to racial justice."

There is nothing more to be done in the name of "racial justice." We have affirmative action (discrimination against whites), diversity programs, and set-asides, not to mention the ever-present threat of discrimination lawsuits. Then there's the over $1 trillion price tag of the "War on Poverty," paid for overwhelmingly by whites. Add to that the glowing portrayals of "protected groups" in the media and the continual blame heaped upon whites for everyone else's problems. As for violent crime and who commits a disproportionate amount of it - well, we’ll save that for another discussion.

The good thing about the racial acrimony of the Democrat primary is that now BO is acutely aware of the sentiments of many white Americans. Hopefully, he recognizes the need to tread very, very carefully.

Given this line of thinking, whose side of the racial tightrope is Bush on? Some people would say not only is he not black enough, he is too white. Race seems to be a cover for the fear that we saw played out in post-apartheid South Africa.

These evasive blog topics and questions are intriguing, but, let's ask the pesky illusive question (s): are the whites losing momentum and will the blacks take over? How can you now entrust the nation to people you have enslaved, defiled, defamed, mistrusted, miseducated, feared, hated, disenfranchised, or otherwise maligned? Are we just scared as hell?