I think Reid's use of language is telling, but his political analysis is correct. Early in the 2008 campaign, much was made about Obama's 'exotic' background and recollections from white colleagues about how comfortable and at ease Obama is around them, and them around him. While a lot of Americans white and black have been patting themselves on the back over the last year and marveling about how race has been overcome, the dirty not so little secret is that Obama had to derace himself as much as possible to get elected. And he's continued that policy since he was elected. The one time he sort of veered away from that with the Gates thing, many white liberals and conservatives slammed him and Obama had to concoct that 'beer summit'. Obama can only comfortably talk about race when he is taking black people to task about something or in declaring that he will not do something specifically for the black community (whether that's right or wrong to ask of him). But he can do no more than empty symbolism at best in regards to racial redress, which fits a lot of white and black folks just fine. IMO, a lot of black folks are willing to accept the illusion of inclusion at all cost, even at the expense of asserting themselves it seems, unlike most of the rest of Obama's coalition.
What I think is most interesting is not what Reid said but how black Democrats are rallying to his defense. Even though Michael Steele has shady motives, he makes a good point. If this had been Mitch McConnell, many black Democrats would've been raising holy hell. I think another damning statement was the one allegedly made by Bill Clinton to Ted Kennedy about Obama. Clinton reportedly told Kennedy something to the effect that Obama would've been serving us coffee a few years ago. Coupled with his outbursts from the campaign last year, if true I hope this puts to bed the idea of Clinton being a 'black' president or a racial healer or visionary, because he was none of those things.
