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I cheer also because Obama is an African American -- an African father, an American mother. For someone like him to be a presidential candidate -- maybe even president -- says oodles about this country.

And that would say...what? Cohen doesn't explain. He offers not a single "oodle." Claiming there are plenty of reasons or examples and then failing to cite one is evidence of lazy thinking.

After eight years of George W. Bush and his narcissistic foreign policy -- me, me, us, us -- it would be great to have a president who presents a different message just by his complexion and who compensates, if anything can, for how Iraq has tarnished America's reputation, particularly in the Third World.

Exactly how does Obama's complexion do that? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Notice how this piece begins as a pseudointellectual contrast of Roman and American political history, and morphs into a brainless, knee-jerk liberal cheer of "Wouldn't it be cool if a black guy was President?"

Let me interject at this point that I am a black guy myself.

I think it would be cool, insofar as the guy was qualified for the job, and not an outright socialist. Then again, that's how I feel about any candidate.

Oodles?

Sure sounds like Gidget wrote this piece.

I think Obama is just desperation. Let's see if he's smart enough to figure it out: they will dump the world's most powerful position on a young politician who so far has been a pleasant socialist with no gravitas, no experience and not enough age to have experienced anything worthwhile in America. Then when he fails, that will be the end of young men in the presidency, regardless of complexion.

While I do think this is just a way to set Obama up for Hillary's VP, I also think it will be incumbent upon all of us, especially blacks, to hold his feet to the fire, insist on real debates, real answers and real positions.

What better way to shut up the majority than to put forward a woman and a black man, so that whenever they are criticized, their legions can accuse us all of racism and sexism. Blacks who oppose either of them will be called Oreo/Tom. Women will be castigated for enabling the patriarchy. Whites will, of course, be called racist. Conservatives will be accused of being Klan.

However, this is all smoke and mirrors. It isn't even a Hail Mary pass, just a blue sky supposition that ignores the majority of us who look for competence, ideas, and experience in our leaders. This is a huge instance of "Ignore the man behind the curtain." Or the woman behind the curtain, which is also a large possibility.