A splendidly written profile piece on Barack Obama today comes from the AP's Charles Babbington:
Now, the entire nation and countless foreigners are absorbing a moment that had seemed decades away, if possible at all. Smart strategists and rank-and-file voters ponder how Obama rose so far so fast, and theories abound. Historians will sort it out someday, but Obama's blend of oratory, biography, optimism and cool confidence come to mind most immediately.
It's not just about him, of course. If America can seriously think of putting a black man in the White House, surely it must also profoundly rethink the relevance of race, the power of prejudice, the logic of affirmative action and other societal forces that have evolved slowly through the eras of Jim Crow, desegregation and massive immigration.
Maybe the toughest question is this:
Is Obama, with his incandescent smile and silky oratory, a once-in-a-century phenomenon who will blast open doors only to see them quickly close on less extraordinary blacks?
Or is he the lucky and well-timed beneficiary of racial dynamics that have changed faster than most people realized, a trend that presumably will soon yield more black governors, senators, mayors and council members?
Maybe I'll let Bunny scout for a similar snapshot of John McCain, lest y'all think I'm a card-carrying liberal. B-)
Well Bunny is not scared to take on a challenge...however she is really having trouble finding a picture of another white, older male who's a fear-inducing war-monger with a permanent look of disdain and loaded pants. However she will continue to look and keep you posted.
Obama rises from political obscurity to verge of history - washingtonpost.com
