Those comments were hardly the skewering I was expecting. It was more like, "this guy is untested, maybe it's a good idea to see what he's about - and perhaps actually see if he will run - before we endorse him k thx".

Our view is that Obama threatens Jackson, Sharpton and Belafonte precisely because he has an appeal that transcends race. If Obama is able to gain widespread appeal as a national political figure, it undermines the basis of white guilt, namely the assumption that America remains a deeply racist society.

Utter nonsense, and so off the mark it was obviously written by a white person.

Racism is alive and well in America for average black americans: in housing discrimination, in disparate sentencing for white/black defendants facing similar charges, in employment, salary and promotional opportunities in the corporate world.

Because some guys occasionally have cross over appeal doesn't mean those boundaries don't exist; rather these rare examples tend to highlight the boundaries that exist for most.

Plus, the author acts like Obama represents something new. Ever hear of Frederick Douglass? No? How about MLK? Remember him? Black guy whose birthday was a national holiday yesterday? I don't think Jackson or Sharpton had any bad things to say about him.