Hint: He's tall, in the Senate, on TV a lot A third in U.S. still haven't heard of Obama

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 12/21/2006 | Andrew Herrmann

[Mike Bates]

He's been on Oprah, Letterman, Leno, "Monday Night Football'' and "The View.'' He's written two best-selling books and made the cover of Time and Newsweek magazines.

He's Barack . . . Who?

Some 33 percent of Americans say they have never heard of Illinois' Sen. Barack Obama, a likely presidential candidate in 2008, according to a new Gallup poll. Another 14 percent said his name sounded familiar but they didn't know enough about him to have an opinion.

Compare that to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Only 5 percent of those polled said they had no opinion of her -- a double-edged sword, though, with 42 percent saying they know her and don't like her.

Gallup pollster Jeffrey M. Jones said freshman candidates usually have low recognition numbers, but he was surprised at the Obama data given the senator's high-profile "political rock star" tag.

There are both negatives and positives in Obama's recognition numbers this early in the game, said John S. Jackson of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

"He has a way to go to get into the Hillary Clinton league'' in terms of recognition, said Jackson. On the other hand, "he can still define himself for that 47 percent'' -- the 33 percent who don't know Obama from Adam and the 14 percent who said they don't know much about him.

Obama, vacationing in Hawaii for the holidays, will decide while there whether to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, his sister Maya Soetoro said this week.

[Vigilanteman]

Sensiive about his ears? Who are you calling a little girl, punk?

[SeafoodGumbo]

It's amusing to see them use the "one drop" rule for defining race. I'd always thought it was a stretch, but not as preposterous, for Halle Berry (1/2 white, 1/2 black) to consider herself black instead of what she is - an even mix, but if Obama really is only 1/4 black and trying to pass, that's getting into ridiculous territory.

It's interesting that a century ago, some blacks would try to pass as white, but now we've got politicians and celebrities trying to pass as black.

[SeafoodGumbo]

I sure wish I knew Photoshop and could combine these two pics. Any takers?

[Verginius Rufus]

Homer Plessy, central figure in the Plessy v. Ferguson lawsuit challenging segregation, back in the 1890s, was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, but was expected to ride in the "colored" compartment on public transportation.

[Gritty]

[GraniteStateConservative]

Make Obama look like a monkey with big ears? I'll believe cartoonists (en masse) would hurry to do that when I see it.

[GraniteStateConservative]

As Cicero said, the implication in America (and elsewhere, especially in Europe) has always been that other races are an impurity to the white race (like how that some dirty water added to a bowl of clean water gives you a bowl of dirty water).

[APFel]

My prediction-- Obama is unelectable in a national scenario. He will be pummeled in the GE, no matter who the GOP runs.

Why?

Despite the Dem's self-gratifying "peace and tolerance" facade, a lot of old time FDR type Dems will NOT vote a man of color into office, period.

I predict that the same thing would happen to Hillary.

It looks as though the DNC is anointing corpses.

APf

[L98Fiero]

"Despite the Dem's self-gratifying "peace and tolerance" facade, a lot of old time FDR type Dems will NOT vote a man of color into office, period."

Well, I don't know about that but you can certainly bet we'll hear that "America isn't ready to elect a black president" when he fails. In the media's eyes, his skin color has to be the only reason he won't win. Forget the fact he's nothing but a slightly darker John Edwards.

[Mike Bates]

Not me.

[Silly]

Silly's Anagrams:

Barack Hussein Obama =
Skin! Aroma! Such a babe!

[Mike Bates]

That Hussein middle name could come in handy:

[Gideon Reader]

Unwind the bandages and you find (IF you could see him)Claude Rains, in what appears to be an empty suit.

Not only is there no there there; there isn't even a delivery date for something to be placed there.

[Minutemen]

Everyone knows him as IraqOsama