As least it is a real word, unlike “halfrican” which I heard on Fox News.

If you want to use the terminology of the 19th century, he’s mulatto. Mulattos and quatroons don’t even qualify as “high yellow”; only negroes do.

Are you saying that he should not (let alone has not been) campaign(ing) as an African-American/black man?

Yes. Haven’t you ever listened to one of his speeches? He’s not running to be a black president. He’s been running to be the president of all of us.

Then what’s this ongoing kerfuffle about race in the current democratic presidential reace been about?

There are a lot of bigots who want to dismiss him as just another a token, someone who is there for appearance’s sake, a dress nigger, but not someone you really want to trust with any real responsibility.

MarkH, take a look around you. Nigger isn’t something you are. It’s not something you do. It’s something you’re treated as. And most people are treated like that by big companies, whether they’re employees or customers. It’s time we got treated with respect - ALL of us.

In light of that, how do we (or, do we) label him as a result of all this?

He would prefer you call him Senator Obama. Or Barack. Or call him the leading contender for the Democratic Party nomination. He’d prefer that you not brand him as a cute little token that can be dismissed with a wave of your hand as inconsequential.

Do you label people according to their blood type? Do you label people according to whether their earlobes are attached or detached? It’s pretty easy to examine someone and tell which of *those* groups someone belong to. But race is simply a matter of opinion.

Is not the reality that one black parent makes you black (political reality, if nothing else)?

If that’s true, then EVERYONE is black. It hasn’t been THAT many generations since we all had a common ancestor, known to biologists as Mitrochondrial Eve.

OK, Harl, let’s say the obvious isn’t true; so what is he?

Are you saying that he should not (let alone has not been) campaign(ing) as an African-American/black man?

Then what’s this ongoing kerfuffle about race in the current democratic presidential reace been about? In light of that, how do we (or, do we) label him as a result of all this? Is not the reality that one black parent makes you black (political reality, if nothing else)? I certainly don’t think Obama would disagree, based on the evidence.

Yep. You’re right. Barack Obama was lucky to have been born a black man.

Except that he wasn’t. His mother was as white as Geraldine Ferraro is.

slipped away from the upstairs tour for a minute and stood out on the stone veranda, looking down over the expanse of lawns… and for some reason flashed on being a Nazi general in occupied France. or a Draka merarch in Burgundia, not a whole lot of difference.

Here in the Great White North, we pay 12.50 per pack. Of that, approximately 7.00 is paid in tax. I have no idea how that compares in the US, I suspect the tax is less there… I smoke about a half-pack per day, and know I must quit, yet keep smoking, so who knows if prices will discourage people.

We had a brief time in 97 where the government lowered taxes on smokes - hurrah for me - and curiously, people just shrugged, even though the anti-smoke lobby is as tough or stronger here. Go figure?

Speaking of crossing the border for your fix, native resrves here can seel smokes tax-free, but unless you are a Status Indian, you cannot buy them. There was a huge black market, but somehow it went away. Here, less than 20% of the population smoke, down from over 50% in the last generation (25 years).

Nancy, you’re awesome! Keep it up (for my coffee breaks at work)

Randy

Did Geraldine Ferraro say something impolitic? Maybe. If Obama had been Joe Biden. Did Bll Clinton make some sort of racist comments? Not in a billion years. The Obama people are so full of shit on this they should be gagging. But you know, they were dumb enough to say so.

There aren’t any racists involved, and Barrack apologitzes. What Ferraro said was one true fact. If Barrack wasn’t a black gur, if he was your typical white interlocutor, the women vote would would would rule. That is what she said, as a matter of fact. Apparent;ly there are ways and ways of playing the race card might be beneath Obama. it’s pretty clearly something his opponent never considered.

If somebody could point out how Bill Clinton said anything remotely racist, I’ll kiss Keith Olbermann’s ass. Just never happened,

If it’s about Shock and Awe, and the invasion and occupation, if you think Congress authorized thi, you’re an idiot with an agenda. Intelligent people in Congree were presented with evidence. Should they have assumed the president was just lying his ass off? Well, how. Lyndon lied, if your old enough to remember. This was so far more massive lying, you’d have to expect prescience. I didn’t believea word. On the other hand, it’s easy to see how Members pf Congress would believe th CommanderinChief wouldn’t just lie and muder people with th initial shock ans awe.

Murdering iraqis? I truly belive this asshole thinks , whaever they’re just