Joe, I was in no way referencing your post
. I was taking issue with those who imply that Obama is "choosing to be black" to gain some sort of advantage from that label. In any other circumstance that does not pander to some political agenda, they - or anyone else for that matter - would refer to him as a black man. Can you imagine the reaction if a man who looks like Obama tried to pass himself off as white or even referred to himself as "mixed"? The first thing they would holler is that he is ashamed of what he is.
That's the sad thing about political dogmatism - people seek to put the most negative spin possible on a political opponent's actions regardless of how much it contradicts the way they would react if that same action came from a member of their own party. Truth be damned! Negativity at all cost!
The significance of Obama being the first black president is not so much that it will show poor little ghetto kids that they can become POTUS. It is more an example to show the critics of America and the retrogressive thinkers in American society and elsewhere - both black and white - that the majority of people in the US are NOT racists and that it really could be true that anyone; regardless of race, can achieve their goals if they are committed, determined and prepared to work hard enough to get what they want. Going back as far as Colin Powell and up to the time when Obama declared his candidacy for the job, many, many people of all colours and cultures around the world - the US included - thought that though he may be a strong candidate, American society was still not ready to accept a black man as their president.