Ferraro hit on a home truth but did so in a very heavy handed way. Obama, a candidate with rather weak credentials for a presidential candidate, an unexamined personal history (his two autobiographies don't count - not in any investigative sense), and a very foggy theme of hope and change, hit the jackpot when the Clintons got crucified in SC. That is precisely when his candidacy took off; the guy who had had lukewarm support among black voters suddenly began getting nearly the entirety of their votes. He simultaneously became the 'feel good' candidate for a lot of whites, a seemingly painless solution to our nation's long history of racial difficulty.

How can anyone possibly posit that Obama's position at this point in the primaries doesn't have a great deal to do with race? It does. If I believed Obama had the makings of a solid president, I'd vote for him in a second. The problem is, I don't, and I don't trust this rush to practically anoint him. What happens if he does become president - and screws up? What then? Will doubters and dissenters be tarred with the 'racist' brush, just as they've been tarred in the primaries (absolutely no pun intended)? The latter prospect is not a happy one.

You say: "I think Joan Walsh wrote these nonapologies for the Monster..."

I see it's still quite alright for Obama supporters to trash Clinton. All, of course, in service of promoting greater harmony among mankind by denouncing perceived bigotry.

Do you see the hypocrisy in your words? Do others?

BTW, I do appreciate the more reasoned, respectful messages from Obama supporters on this thread. I still disagree with your premises for the most part, but I genuinely appreciate your civility in this season of "Are you still beating your wife?"

You say: "I especially found "I think we can be proud of Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson" patronizing."

Perhaps Clinton should've said, "I think Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson are likable enough."

Come on, is there ANYTHING Clinton could say which fervent Obama supporters would find acceptable? I am deathly tired of having Clinton's every word minutely scrutinized under a PC microscope, instantly plastered on the Race-O-Meter. This is getting very, very tiresome.

You say: "Right now, there's an epic fight to define both Hillary and Obama. Whoever gets the most favorable myth implanted in the minds of the most will win. Done."

Bingo. Great post and thank you for the insight.

Forget FL and MI and Rev Wright. Any chance we can have a re-do of the whole danged primary?

Obama can do no wrong. Anyone who criticizes him is wrong (and quite possibly a racist). Hillary Clinton can do no right. Anyone who does not her criticize is wrong (and quite possibly a racist).

Upon failure to cooperate with the above paradigm, your keyboard will be seized and thrown into the flames. (Note: Office Depot has some pretty cheap models, just in case.)

You say: "this isn't about racism, in the sense that HRC or Bill or GF are racists; it's about keeping the subject of race in the news, thus allowing the folks who inclinations to view the world through racist lenses...to view BHO not as a candidate who happens to be black, but as the black candidate."

What qualifies you and other posters to state with such certainty that the Clinton campaign is doing any such thing? Do you have an inside track with someone working on the campaign? Have you worked on the campaign yourself? How are you all so dead certain of this Clinton heart of darkness you so firmly believe in? And why are you so cavalier about insulting those who don't agree with you and who support Senator Clinton?

BTW, while y'all are nattering away about Geraldine Ferraro and the Clintons, much of the rest of America is getting very, very upset about Rev. Wright. The video clip is all over the Internet and the reader comments are not pretty.

In case no one has seen it: In the unabridged (Fox) version, Wright tells his congregation that Bill Clinton has been 'riding the black community like Monica Lewinsky', as the reverend does an on-camera bump and grind. He doesn't spare Hillary, on his way to eviscerating white America at length. Instead of 'God Bless America', Wright proposes black Americans sing "Goddamn America'. All in all, it's a pretty damning bit of showmanship.

Remember, Obama has described Wright as his spiritual mentor of 20 years, the man from whom he borrowed the phrase "Audacity of Hope", his 'old uncle'. His is the church that Obama has chosen to be a member of for 20 years. He was married in Wright's church, his kids attend it. Wright is apparently part of Obama's inner campaign circle.

Mainstream America isn't going to blame the Clintons for this video (and rightly so). But it is going to be very, very unhappy about what Obama's embrace of Wright's church says about Obama and his judgment, or lack of it.