Racism?

Did anyone read this article in the NYTimes? http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/12/us/politics/12clinton.html?scp=11&sq=fairy+tale

It's incredible that one politician cannot characterize another's campaign as a "fairly tale" without being construed as racist. Bill Clinton, before the New Hampshire primary, dubbed Barack Obama's campaign/message a "fairy tale," undoubtedly because Obama talks continually of uniting all people, dispelling corruption and big business from government, Hope, etc..

It's a legitimate label -- from a political perspective (regardless of how realistic, beneficial, or superior Obama's ideas are) -- since Bill, to support his wife's candidacy, wants to portray her as experienced, knowledgeable, practical, etc., in contrast to the relative youth, inexperience, etc. of Obama. Makes sense, you nod, from the viewpoint of democratic contest.

Well then, you wonder, what makes such behavior racist? The answer -- of course -- is that Obama is (half) black.

Why can't a white man challenge a black man's message -- the message mind you -- without being accused of racism? As far as I know, Bill isn''t attacking Obama as a human being: he's discussing his of political vision. Must we continue hyper-sensitive about race, to the point where a critique of ideas amounts to a racial act? I just checked, and my ideas are colorless, odorless, and of the nature of horniness (all races).

Can we please start to look past a person's skin color, and try -- instead -- to see what he or she is really saying? Because attaching racial importance to every utterance, pronouncement, or wheeze that a person makes will leave us with only a skin-deep understanding of those around us -- black, blue, white, orange, or plaid. If one -- because his skin color is different -- cannot critique the ideas of another without being termed a 'racist' -- then open and honest discussion and communication itself is a 'fairy tale.

I have no doubt that the Rev. Al Sharpon, or Rep. Jesse James would also dub me a 'racist', for these statements -- but I can't control a culture obsession.

Finally, to show that I am not some kind of simpering Clinton sycophant, I would like to add that -- after the event mentioned above -- Bill did a kind of about face -- putting votes and political correctness correctness above beliefs -- by claiming the 'fairy tale' he had mentioned referred only to the position Obama had taken on Iraq.