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Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:00 AM

Obama's historic run heads south

Did his victory in Iowa and strong showing in New Hampshire really "put to rest the notion that a black candidate can't win in America"?

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  • Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:18 AM

    Obama's historic run heads south

    It is true, Obama's historic run is heading south. It is not the expression of racial equality that it should be. That would come only if race was not an issue. Obama has exacerbated racial tensions as Hillary has with denials of gender differences.

    These candidates are running for celebrity titles, not for public office. They are being convinced by special interests the prize needs winning at any and all costs, even if it means promising everything to everyone, sounding sincere and sympathetic to all , and never admitting that there is no political mandate from either party to support any policy.

    Even a veto proof majority in Congress will not be sufficient. If we continue to play the race, religion and gender cards the parties will disintegrate into Liberal and Conservative divisions much more representative of the disparate nature of national constituencies, even more so than the shift in voters during the civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s.

    The last thing we need is another flag-wrapping- shouting- march of hyphenated Americans.

    We can solve any problem quickly. We gave done it before. As long as we have the resolve to face a problem without prejudice, and without fear. If we choose to support and defend an American culture, a culture of law and justice, we can keep our gender, our race, and our religion, from government intrusion. If we continue to insist on race, gender, or religion as a qualification for public service we are doomed by our bigotry.

    The danger to any democratic state is that one orthodoxy gains the power to interpret the law for all. We have had this happen here throughout our history. We have been able to survive, not by the will of God, but by luck for the most part and the by extremism of most fanatical attempts to change our form of government.

    Who we have on the Supreme Court is more important than the color, sex, or religion of the Justice or the candidate for President.

    Obama is heading south. Hillary is heading south. We are heading south as a nation if we persist in coloring our history books.

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