STOP!

The race thing, in the context of these elections, is designed to try and bait Obama and his supporters into getting sucked into a race argument.

If that happens, then his campaign will truly be undermined. as it will descend into a squabble about race. Middle america will get uncomfortable, embarrassed and defensive and he'll slip away.

Understandably, the issue of race is one that inspires extremes of frustration in those who have been on the receiving end of it.

But I would appeal to Obama's black suppporters not to get drawn in. If you want him to win you have to constantly divert attention to his strengths as a politician, not jump to his defence as a victim of prejudice.

Don't play the role that the baiters love to wind you up to play.

Look at Obama - Last I saw, his own response to it was to say that he knows Hillary Clinton isn't racist and he was sure it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Because he knows that the argument of who should be president is of far greater importance than the argument about whether Clinton is using racist tactics - and he knows which victory he would rather sacrifice.

Every time someone stands up and says "hey ... that's racist" in this campaign, they push race higher up the agenda and Obama loses control of his campaign.

Do you really want him to be answering nothing but incessant questions about his views on who is and isn't racist?

Can't he be allowed to set a precedent as a black politician who isn't defined by his stance on racial issues but by his stance on other issues?

He's done really well in this respect - don't blow it for him now.

Don't bite!