Stop all the cloying fawning over Barack Obama!

Will the fawning over Barack Obama ever end? It seems that it's become international now: Europeans are demanding greater minority representation in their governments thanks to the Obama ascendancy. Puh-leese. Can this become any more cloying and treacly? In the first place, the Illinois Senator is not the Second Coming among world leaders. There were minorities in politics top to bottom way before him: need I mention Colin Powell and Condolessa Rice, Secretaries of State, appointed by Republicans no less? Sure, it is historically more significant that Obama has been elected President. But that is not something we ought to be so impressed with in 2008. As I've said in earlier blogs, in a colorblind society this isn't supposed to matter outside of trivia. Yet now we have folks the world over demanding more minorities in positions of power. Let me tell you something flat out: wanting someone in power solely because of their skin color or national origin is just as racist as NOT wanting them in power for those reasons. We should want people of integrity and ability running our nation regardless of skin tone. Show me someone worth voting for on the issues and I'll vote for him. Ask me to vote for him simply because he's black or white or green and you lose me. You should. I understand pride in our fellows, and no doubt a lot of that is reflected in Mr. Obama's rise to out nation's top spot. That's okay: a lot of Polish were proud of John Paul II and Germans with Benedict XVI. Just keep it in perspective, friends. If President Obama becomes one of the greats, it can only be because of his leadership, or we are shallow citizens indeed.