I honestly think of the people on this board only a small minority would care about his race. I don't see how whether he is light or dark skinned even enters into it... In fact, I'd be more likely to vote for him if he looked more like Denzel Washington... Obama's not a very good looking guy... LOL

I also think you are taking some of the things said here entirely the wrong way... It seems as if you are trying to act as if there is some sort of victimization going on here...

On a side note, I know I asked this before, but I have to ask again, are you really a Paralegal? I just have trouble believing it because your diction is poor, it seems almost as if you were TRYING to sound urban... It doesn't come off well, seems forced. I don't think people really use the term 'brother' that much any more either...

You are correct, but I think that the appeal that Obama has is more likely connected to the fact that he (culturally) is not 'Black' in the sense that he is not descended from African slaves. His perspective on America will be affected by this.

Not saying right or wrong... Just an observation.

There is a difference in perception that exists depending on the richness of one's skin color.

This was one of my concerns about him when he (actually before he) announced his candidacy. At this point, I'm welcoming the change from the staus quo.

He make me a bit nervous with his comments about Pakistan though.

Not me! At last someone has figured it out... We need to pull out of Iraq, leave Iran alone, and go into the mountains of Pakistan, where our real enemies are... This is the right course of action... We also need to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan, yes.

Going into Pakistan aganst the wishes of the government can be problematic.

Than makes me nervous...

Well seeing i live in the nation you guys are talking about invading i figured i might add my two cents.

I think its a horrific idea.. While it may make great political sense for Obama.. i mean this talk of pakistan allows him to keep pushing for an Iraqi pullout, but it also alows him to come across as "tough on terrorism"... it will have extremely damaging repercussions on the democratization and liberalization process going on in Pakistan at the moment. Allow me to explain:

Pakistan is experiencing the greatest social and economic upheaval since Bhuttos regime in the 70s. Bhutto was the first to give credence to the fundamentalist right, and his pandering to the clerics was continued by Zia, Nawaz and Benazir. The past 3 decades have been spent in solidifying the power of the clerics.

Since Musharraf took power, he has taken one step after another to neuter the religious fundos. His biggest step in this direction has been liberalizing the media. For the first time in Pakistani history, we have a media policy that allows the media outlets to monitor their own content.. the media is now more independent than was even thought possible.

THis has had the result that clerics have steadily been losing support. This is a natural repercussion of having to rationally explain something that is fundamentally irrational and self-contradictory ( the mullahs say "peace" with guns in their hands ).

Apart from this, the independent coverage given to the excesses of the mullahs such as the Red Mosque debacle, has done much to lose them popular support. Even in the bastion of mullah support ( the North West Frontier Province which borders Afghanistan) is set to vote against the clerics in the upcoming election.

The tide against the mullahs has been turning. And it will continue to turn. Already bills have been passed that break with the Hudood Ordnance. Likewise the madrassas are going through another phase of reform to root out those who sow hatred in the hearts of their students.

The common man is finding his voice in the media, which allows him to criticize the fundo clerics as well as those polticians who have treated the pakistani government as their own personal ATM. I cannot tell you how big a change this actually is..

One of the reasons these changes have been coming about, is that the clerics have continuously been trying to garner support around irrelevant and often directly harmful things. First they tried garnering support in opposition to the Women's protection bill. After that they tried to garner support against the Madrassah reform. that was followed by introducing the Hasba Bill ( which would have created a parrallel "religious legislature" with its own policing force.. sort of like the Taliban "ministry for the prevention of vice and promotion of virtue"). This bill was not received favorably, as the local population was more concerned with improving infrastructure than with what people were wearing. Then the mullahs went on to openly support the firebrand clerics of the Red Mosque, when they were burning CDs and closing down shops unde tht hreat of violence.. of course they also abducted both local and foreign citizens and finally they wound up holding thousands of innocent women and children hostage as they proceeded with armed resistance to the government. Even now, the mullahs are supporting those nutjobs.

These are all bad political choices, that are digging them deeper into the ground. The common man is much more interested in feeding himself, about having the opportunity to work, about having the opportunity to educate himself and his sons and daughters, about proper civil infrastructure and about individual rights than he is about the required length of his beard. These are all positive changes in priorities that have come about as a result of the media.

HOWEVER, if the US unilaterally moves into pakistan against the government's wishes, the mullahs are going to be served the country on a platter. Just as in Iraq ( which was the most secular of the ME countries prior to invasion) the mullahs are going to be able to garner unlimited support against the outside invader. I can assure you that even those who completely disagree with the mullahs, may find themselves supporting them simply because they will IMMEDIATELY call to arms against the invader ( nothing gels a population like opposition to a common enemy.. and let there be no mistaking.. should the US invade it will NEVER be viewed as friendly "assistance"). Even the government will not be able to garner support, because they can never call for armed opposition.. IF they do, then you have a full-scale war with a nuclear power which has the patronage of China, the Middle East and Iran.

WHATEVER direction it goes in, the US will be responsible for international chaos, for destroying yet another national infrastructure AND they will be responsible for giving AQ more recruits and plunging the nation into another era of fundo rule. It does not matter if you wipe out OBL & Co a thousand times over. AQ is a social phenomena that does not require OBL to be alive. In fact when you "martyr" him, TENS of THOUSANDS will immediately present themselves to take his place.

What people don't seem to understand is that to people in this corner of the world AQ represents more than just the evil terrorist. It also represents a bastion of opposition to US hegemony. Many will support AQ for no other reason than opposition to the US. Now mind you opposition to the US is NOT equivalent to supporting Taliban style governance ( you really have to get past that black or white mentality )... HOWEVER it may be a sacrifice many are willing to make for the sake of their national sovereignty... I mean you guys are willing to sacrifice your own rights in the Patriot Act for the "security" of your sovereignty. Do not underestimate the number of things people are willing to give up for the sake of their independence.

I have said earlier on this forum that very often US actions PUSH the moderate muslim into AQs corner. That is because unsavory as AQ ideology is, it is still LESS unsavory than sitting back and allowing a foreign power to enter your territory with impunity. US actions like this leave the moderates with only 2 options. Either they swallow all feelings of national pride and independence and allow a foreign power to enter and do as it pleases... OR they can fall in behind the group that opposes such a violation of sovereignty. This is PRECISELY what has happened in Iraq. Now many will say that there is a third option of peaceful opposition to the US without support for AQ. Well that is not an option. If the US is entering the nation armed and ready for conflict, "peaceful opposition" is a just a fart in a hurricane. Completely irrelevant. The US will focus its attention on the violent opposition, and the peaceful dissenters will be relegated to irrelevance..

All changes in the religio-political and socio-political arena will be null-and-void. The detrimental effect on the economy will invalidate the trend of prosperity. It will make people poorer and more angry. It will PROVE THE CLERICS RIGHT.

And i will then be posting on this forum from denmark because i cannot live a country run by religious nutjobs.

As much as i have supported Obama's bid for the presidency, this stance on Pakistan will be a mistake of the same order as Iraq. While it may not mire down the US in as costly a war, it WILL create an enemy with nuclear capability and with a fundamentalist regime and it WILL cause relations with China, the ME and Iran to deteriorate even further.

The concern about AQ sympathisers hiding in Pakistan IS valid, but it is NOT the US's place to enter the sovereign territory of another nation to root them out.

The BEST the US can do , it to go on the offensive on the SOCIAL front. The better the living conditions are for the average citizen, the more education that is available to them, the MORE advantages they see in resisting the mullahs, the better it will be for the US.

Mind you, NOT INVADING PAKISTAN will also not be seen as a "favor", it will not be considered a "benefit", nor will it be given any sort of importance by the local population. That is because they are not US citizens, and their sovereignty as a nation is an inalienable right that not even the US is entitled to question or violate.

DO NOT ENTER PAKISTAN UNILATERALLY. It will be a supremely unwise choice. It will only perpetuate the "Global Bully" image that the US has so dilligently managed to create, It will nullify any steps we have taken towards a more liberal society, and it will reduce your security as more terrorists will INVARIABLY be created.

I was never taught that disagreement was wrong, but only human. I was taught not to hate. I respect a person for saying their piece, even it is in contradiction to what I say or think.
As far as Obama goes, I think he is high in the polls because America for the most part has crossed what I have referred to as the "Racial Divide". Yes, unfortunately there are stll some diehards holding out. In my area, there is some media that is still trying to scare America by simply the name "Obama" because it sounds like "Osama" as in Bin Laden.
The reason for my earlier post about Muslims is personal. I had a close friend named Mustafa who lived near me at the time of 9/11. Mustafa's life became a living hell, simply because he was Muslim. America became gripped by "Islamaphobia" in which anyone of Middle Eastern descent was labeled a"terrorist. Mustafa was receiving death threats almost daily, yet he was never charged with any crime. He finally told me he could not live in America if treatment such as this is what we consider "freedom". I never heard from him again, and regret to this day losing a nice friend due to religious ignorance of others.

Yes, I know. My brother in law, who's parents were from Pakistan but he was born here, also had the same problem. He is a non-practicing Muslim, mostly because he is the oldest son. His sisters and brother also had a hard time.

Motiur lives near Washington DC and the really ironic part is he was the COO of a division of Hughes Aircraft and negotiated and worked on top secret government projects. He has a top level security clearance and knows a lot of top government officials by name. And still he got shit.

I wouldn't do it against their wishes either, the last thing we need is a war with Pakistan. But I would offer to go in there and help them flush their mountains out, they have some enemies up there too...