"But it just may be possible that the single biggest boost to the Obama campaign is not white liberal self-congratulation or the Clinton campÕs self-immolation, but the collective nastiness of the Republican field. Just when you think the tone canÕt get any uglier, it does. Last week Mike Huckabee, who only recently stood out for his kind words about illegal immigrants, accepted an endorsement from a founder of the Minutemen, whose approach to stopping the Òillegal alien invasionÓ has been embraced by white supremacists and who have been condemned as ÒvigilantesÓ by President Bush.

For those Americans looking for the most unambiguous way to repudiate politicians who are trying to divide the country by faith, ethnicity, sexuality and race, Mr. Obama is nothing if not the most direct shot. After hearing someone like Mitt Romney preach his narrow, exclusionist idea of ÒFaith in America,Ó some Americans may simply see a vote for Mr. Obama as a vote for faith in America itself."


NY Times