March 12: Is Race the Fourth Rail of American Politics?

*Commentary: Not By the Color of their Skin, Or Their Gender?

Candidate A has two years in the United States Senate, with a not particularly eye-catching voting record. Candidate A won the seat because of various problems with that candidate's opponents, and didn't have to run a particularly challenging campaign. Candidate A's most attractive attribute is as a speaker. The candidate's speeches inspire.

The candidate then decides to run for President of the United States.

Let's suppose the candidate's name is Raymond Jones, and he's white. Or Sarah Brown, and she's white. Or black. Is that candidate qualified for the presidency?

Now let's suppose the candidate's name is Barack Obama, who is of mixed race and dark-skinned. Is he qualified? Does that make a difference? Should it?

It's been discussed ever since Obama entered the presidential race, and the discussion is heating up again because of former U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro's comments that Obama would not be where he is if he wasn't "black." Ferraro, once the first woman to run for vice president, resigned from an honorary post in U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign because of the comment.

But it brings up a legitimate question: Is Obama getting different consideration because of the color of his skin? Is Clinton getting different consideration because she's a woman?

They shouldn't, but evidently they are - because the question is being brought up, period. If someone says it's an issue, it is. That doesn't change just because Ferraro's taking heat for the comment.

The question is: Now what? Does this country finally have the no-holds-barred, open discussion on race and gender it needs? This campaign is the perfect opportunity. We should all take it.

The two top Democratic candidates are the closest this country has come to realizing Martin Luther King's dream. Is that dream going to turn into a nightmare because of barriers that still exist? Are we still judging Obama and Clinton by color or gender, and not truly by their records or their character? If we are, we haven't advanced as much as we thought.