I suspect you're talking to me so I'll try to answer you.

First, it's obvious you dislike Oprah a whole lot. Fine. I was only pointing out Ms. Walsh's rather humorous comment about how for SOME people (Scarborough, Glenn Beck, etc) it's hard to just be a white person these days. I've always thought that if someone can say that, they haven't a clue about what it actually means to live in a society where your humanity is continually disregarded because of the color of your skin. So I can only laugh and point out the obvious that, as of the sunrise of this morning, the power structure is this country is still OVERWHELMINGLY, WHITE, MALE, and RICH. Most white people aren't allowed access either. I wasn't talking about them. I was speaking directly to the ones who fill the air with stench, going on about how "threatened" they feel by people like Oprah, Barack Obama, Deval Patrick and even the loathsome Condi Rice beginning (just beginning) to level the playing field and make it fair FOR ALL OF US. If they're THIS upset, something MUST be going on. Consider this:

The mayor of Los Angeles is Latino, popularly elected.

The new governor of MA is black. He won in a landslide.

Condoleeza Rice, despite her completely opposite world view is the SECOND black Secretary of State.

Jamie Foxx was the THIRD Best Actor Academy Award Winner who is black

Forest Whitaker, who just won is the FOURTH who is black.

The recent 2006 mid-term elections had black candidates both Democrat and Republican. They won or lost because of their ideas and their vision, not their race.

This is what I'm talking about. It's not about who's first anymore. It's about who's NEXT. People like O'Reilly, and the whole Right Wing lynch mob could stomach one or two of us making it here or there. But now, it's MORE of us doing it. That's what they're afraid of. That's what they never expected. Now they're apoplectic about it. Too bad for them. Oprah just happened to state what is becoming obvious to a lot of us. Now this baying on about "keeping the racist outlook going" makes not a little sense. It's not black people who keep it going. Rather it's the REST OF US who are making it damned uncomfortable for the clueless bigots at the top, and pretty much more difficult to keep that "outlook" in place. I fear you've entirely missed the point I was making. And another thing: elsewhere on this thread you mentioned how much you hate this salon.com site. If that's true then maybe you shouldn't post here anymore.

Joan Walsh is evil and a danger to men, particularly if they're rich white men.

Oprah Winfrey is evil because she endorses "The Secret" and puts money in the hands of criminals.

We here in the Salon blogosphere are evil and confused and that's why SHAM Scam Sam is here. Because this "hell hole" as you describe it is where "good" needs to be.

I'm a Marxist who doesn't understand the sweep of history and I ought to hang my head in shame.

Oh yes, and I'M evil and a disgrace to black people. Not even a thinking human being.

Does that about cover it?

Okay. Your disgust with me and all of us here is duly noted. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree and leave off, shall we? I apologize for upsetting your day.

Checked it out on YouTube. I'm sure that there are better versions than the one I saw, but it's one place to look. It was merely an excerpt, and I suppose the only thing one could argue is that it could have been said just a little differently. Maybe Oprah could have been a bit more inclusive of all races. But I still get what she was saying, and I think Joan was right. We ought to be able to talk about what's happened in the way of change in just a generation. This is a good and hopeful sign, despite the things that are still in place. And I think there are many good and hopeful signs. I just listed a few in an earlier post. I'm quite sure there are many others where we're beginning to talk to each other and beginning to understand. I don't see a problem here, unless someone wants to be cynical and bitter. Having said that, I know that we're a long way from where we want to be, but comments like Oprah made, although perhaps inexactly articulated, are to me at least, a sign that we're heading in the right direction and that's all to the good for ALL of us. As for any notions of Oprah's ego being possibly a little large, well...I'm staying out of that debate. Seems a bit beside the point here, and since I don't watch her, I can't really speak to that. I was just trying to be a bit optimistic in my earlier posts. Caught a bit of flack for it, but that's okay. I'm still seeing this all as a good thing. That's all I was trying to say. Now that I've said it, I'm moving on. See ya.

Well, here's a Clintonian dodge if ever there was one. She learned well from the quintessential master of the dodge, the former president his damn self. It's answers like this that make me less than sanguine about her as a candidate. Look, it's not political suicide to say that the AUMF vote was the wrong vote. I wish Hilary would stop parsing the issue, and I wish Bill would quit making it an issue. I want to see Democrats display some conscience and moral courage on this. John Edwards is willing to and so is Barack Obama. Right now, either of those two has more support from me than Hilary does.