WEll I think that Angelica's comment below where she sites that she is not an American is precisley why Obama may not appeal to her. Obama is speaking to the spirit of a specific group of American people. Im I am not referring to a particular race of people. I am speaking of a group of people that has been longing for something much more refreshing on the political landscape. As far as Obmas specifics, I think that those who support him are not interested in the details of which Im sure he is capable of articulating and carrying out as president. Keep inmind he has been involved in the details throughout his career. But Obama has captivated audiences fro the precise reason to be recognized. Why wouldnt he? He was an unknown and he felt as though he had a new style of politics to bring to the table. So he used lofty speeches to generate the interest in himself and then to awaken a dead electorate. Why is it that those who support Obama are always labeled in such a demeaning way ( naive, gullible, etc..). What if those voices of support are the wiser ones that are able to disern the substance of his lofty speeches as a vision that is far reaching, yet personal to our everyday lives. THank God for Obama. If he was a fluke he would have been long gone. " Judge not , lest ye be judged and for the judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged".

While I may not write books on cultures and races, nor am I an American, but I am Black, yet long before I even read or heard Shelby Steele's views of Obama, I too saw Obama as an opportunist and two-faced kinda guy. My reason for saying this, is that there were no specifics in Obama's statements of hope and change, and it was as if he was begging for recognition. While others are seemingly gullible or mesmerized by him and his rhetoric, I was not. Also, as I continue to listen to Obama's campaign speeches and media interviews I am still not convinced.

Now, as he is trying to get into the specifics of his campaign, I see him as a person being fed lines, and his inflections fading. "To thy own self, one must be true."

To sum it up the guy is not ready for the presidency. Period.

Abe McCauley commented 9 minutes ago:
In reviewing excerpts from the book and listening to the Q&A, I must say that I was slightly irritated byt he arrogant and caustic perspective on the social interactions between blacks and whites in American culture. While I concede the point that we all (black or white) wear masks in our daily interactions with one another , I challenge the intended purpose of the manuscript. THe book seems to have the goal of easing the apprehensive nature of whites in their interaction with blacks. The author appears to act as some sort of pacifier or surrogate for white America. Its almost sickening to watch. Why does white America need a surrogate, their apprehensiveness is a mask that they wear, just as blacks wear a mask to facilitate intergration into white culture. Its basic human behavior. It is not some secret plan of blacks to wear masks to full our white masters. It is a function of human behavior in our attemtpt to establish some sort of relationship with other people. WHether that relationship is polite or hostile depends on the nature of the people involved. THe author goes on to assert that Barack Obama's masks is hiding his true feelings about America. Such audacity! Could it possibly be that Barack chooses to act the way he does and that the merit of his actions are a reflection of something far deeper than the "proverbial" mask. Was Dr. King wearing a mask when he practiced overcoming through peace? Was he involved in this relationship of "qiud pro quo" with white America? If so , what was the harm in it. Did it change America as we knew it , for both blacks and whites. THis book should be called, " Bound: why Shelby Steele hates blacks and America who are bridging gaps, and why he can't stand it"

Just to clarify, the part in quotes is from Steele in his book about Obama. The follow-up about being the darling of the Republican establishment was about Steele.

I have a great respect for BNF and what you have accomplished. I heard Shelby Steele last week on NPR and was intrigued by what he had to say. Apparently, you did too.

Then, in researching him and his book, I came across this quote by Kam Williams of New Blaze (newsblaze.com about Shelby Steele: "Consequently, he's a "bound man," a hypocritical opportunist more interested in exploiting the status quo "to move himself ahead, not to advance a new configuration of race relations." Certainly, such incendiary allegations would be easier to stomach if it weren't coming from an African-American who's also a darling of the right-wing Republican Establishment."

This makes me concerned about where Steele is coming from and his motives and wonder if it is in line with BNF.

Hope you can shed some light on this.

Thanks,
Doug