Jonathan,

You dicuss Ferraro’s statement that Obama owes his position to his colour: “if such a statement is acceptable, then it’s available as free ammo for anyone who wants to make a slur on any successful person of colour. “Colin Powell wouldn’t be in this position…”

You’ve fallen down a slippery slope. If and when the former Chairman of JCS, NSA and SecState runs no one will suppose he lacks credentials. Ferraro’s observation is glaring at us even if we’re afraid to think it. Obama doesn’t have the resume we want when we hire our president. It may not be PC to say race was an important factor, but the issue doesn’t disappear because we pretend it’s not there.

You focus a lot on what people must not say. The PC prescription fails. The remedy for hate speech–or even just faulty logic–is more speech, not less.

To square the circle, race is an important part of Obama’s personality and central to the cult.