Obama sees in Black & White

Personally I think Barack Obama isn't qualified to be president based on his combined business and political experience. I'm not looking to compare him to any other president, but against my view that they should have substantial experience with large and complex organizations in both private business and in government. I think that's why we often see candidates emerge who have been successful in business along with having been a governor.

I'm also not so sure the majority of the country would vote for a black, or a women, for president....I would vote for either as long as I believe them to be qualified and that I like most of their positions on the issues.

With Obama the central issue will surely be his inexperience and his race...or maybe his racial attitudes. An interesting background piece on Obama came out yesterday on Examiner.com

While each of our personal experiences form our impression of others a true leader needs to rise above the bias and color awareness most of us, including me, have. Yes, I expect my president to be better than me, to be more moral, to be more wise, to be more inclusive, to not prejudge, to be confident, to be strong.

In Obama's first memoir, “Dreams from My Father,” published only a little over 10 years ago he clearly was still wrestling with his blackness and how others saw and treated him, and how he saw and thought about those not like him. I don't blame or fault him for these feelings....it's human and based on his life experiences. But, my president must be better than that. My president must truly be color blind....at least not show this limited and bias view just 10+ short years ago. One could argue this was 10-15 years ago, he has grown....sorry, I'm still judged professionally by what I did 15-20 years ago...it's absolutely relevant.

When I think of myself I don't think of myself as a white...I just think of myself as a man.....it seems to me Obama first thought of his identity is that he is a black man.....and I suspect his first thought upon seeing me is that I am a white man...until he no longer sees in black and white he isn't presidential material.

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Then there's Joe Biden who also sees things as black and white....and apparently he thinks Obama as a black man is anomalous for a black man. Joe's says “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” Of course, it could be given Joe's lack of articulation, brightness and good looks that he's impressed with anybody that trumps him in these areas.