One reason to hope that Americans will vote for Obama, aside from the fact that he looks as if he will make a pretty good president, is that after he has been there a bit, a certain kind of racism will become increasingly recognised not just as evil but as totally absurd, which is probably a more effective way of eliminating it.

It won't vanish overnight, its roots are too deep - but I would predict that for an increasing number of people the idea that black people are inferior will be seen as akin to thinking the earth is flat. Which of course is the truth, and is already how a lot of people see it.