Yesterday I saw an ESPN interview of Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) as part of the Major League Baseball All-Star festivities. He was asked about his marriage and his answer made me think. As a major celebrity here in New York and across the country, A-Rod’s every move becomes news and as you might imagine his recent divorce announcement has made not only back but front page news for the better part of a week.

Although it seems unfair, the microscope analyzing A-Rod pales in comparison to that following Sen. Barack Obama. The man has done everything he has been asked to and more but his critics have found baseless arguments and have attempted to connect him to the indiscretions of other (in his party, church, etc.) in attempt to attack his character. These are arguments based clearly in logical fallacy.

This past Sunday, John McLaughlin of the longtime political roundtable show “The McLaughlin Group” referred to Sen. Obama as an “Oreo” during a broadcast over the weekend.  Now naturally I will classify this post under our increasingly popular “Barack Obama” tag but if you look back through the post that we’ve so called written on the man, almost 90% of them really have nothing to do with him at all.

The comments rose out of a discussion about the Rev. Jesse Jackson hot mic controversy.  McLaughlin posed the question, “Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that someone like Obama, who fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside — that an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?”

“Who knows what Jesse Jackson is thinking,” Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Peter Beinart responded.  “But that’s a completely unfair depiction of Barack Obama.” Of course he’s right.  McLaughlin’s decision to objectify our potential next president as a cream filled cookie is very irresponsible.  But here it is, a new story is spawned from another story of which neither has much if anything to do with Barack Obama, The Presidential Candidate.

WHY?!  Simply because he’s black!  He represents black.  America, the media, lobbyist, extremist mostly see him as “black.”  He’s not a man, a man who has vowed to change the landscape of American society a man who wants to fight for better health care, jobs and economy.  He’s the symbolic figure that allows people to talk about race without actually referring to anyone specific.  We project our images of race upon him and use Obama as the basis for our discussion.  So when most people pose the question “Can Barack Obama become our next President.” what they’re really saying is “Is it acceptable for America to vote black.”

Naturally this isn’t a blanket statement or analysis.  Obama clearly represents qualities that American needs in its next President and I’m sure there is a vast majority of informed voters who understand those qualities and will make a decision accordingly however I think too many of the uninformed have blindly drawn the line in the sand and will waive the flag harder than any other.  Its politics in black and white…pun…INTENDED!

McLaughlin Group “Oreo” exchange