How the hell does this get so twisted? The point of the Clinton and Obama campaigns and the fact that they are real candidates with a high likelihood of winning, is exactly that the race and gender are only historical in that they are the first with any real chance of winning. No one speaks for me, or I suspect, most Americans. It is why I found NOW's comments on Ted Kennedy so disturbing, in accusing him of betrayal. The fight has always been about eliminating skin color and gender as a criteria. The struggle has been to get the United States of America to stop limiting the use of its brain trust to the less than half of the population that is male and white.

I am sure that Obama makes it easy for white America to vote for him, for the reasons that Janie laid out. But that isn't the main reason, or even a major reason, IMO. He makes it easy because he raises hopes, and articulates the same message Bobby Kennedy did all those years ago when he said, "Some people see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not?" I just have more faith in the voter than others, I guess.

I think we need to quit holding these two fine candidates to such standards. Hillary is lashing out because she needs to recapture her momentum. I am sure she will slip. I am sure Obama will as well. That is the nature of the beast. But if we continue to cannibalize ourselves, and forget that the goal is to change the very dangerous course that the good ship USA is on, we will have doomed our children and ourselves to a very ugly future.

All the best,

Mick