We've seen George Bush compared to a chimpanzee...

Could anyone dare compare another popular candidate to a chimpanzee? I'm just saying.

The question has been asked and the comments are ridiculous. No, idiots, forget that one wouldn't do it because of x or y especially because democrats have the ability to get away with things that others cannot. It doesn't matter if cognitively the candidate should or should not be compared. If pictures are pictures, why not simply compare pictures?

Yes, that's right. I'm simply saying that race has nothing to do with comparisons, until you're offended.

You know what? If you're voting for someone simply and primarily because that person's skin color more or less matches yours or because of skin color, you're a racist. If you're voting for someone because that person is actually good for the constituency, that is a better plan.

Are we allowed to criticize a black president?

Consider the rhetoric that has been incessantly hurled with no holds barred against our current President. Assuming that a "joking" morning show host could hurl visceral epithets or "funny" innuendo at the President of the United States, would the "funny" "jokes" be allowed in the context of a black president?

Currently, the media is reportedly enamored with a can-do-no-wrong eligible alternative to the presumptive Republican candidate. If the run-up to the primaries, and then the general election, allow a relatively inexperienced candidate to pass mostly unquestioned and potentially unscathed, is that because of the "idea" of the "ideal" or is it because to look at the naked emperor and call him on it is so horrible?

Perhaps, there is nothing to be called out upon. More power to such people who yet exist in this world. However, there is the premise that any questioning of a non-white must inherently be racist. Serious? Welcome to France. I think the big question is who is crying racism, and whether racism is being called out to obscure the question. "You can't say that! He's black, and he's President of the United States! Don't disrespect the man or the office!" What is interesting is that these statements will absolutely and unequivocally be shouted from the rooftops by well-meaning people who may have had no qualms saying infinitely more scandalous remarks against a sitting white President.

Can a purely objective criticism ever be levied without the taint of racism being implied? It should really depend on the people who feel that racism is evident in every bit of speech (and those who are influenced by those people). But those are the people whom we probably can never criticize.

Racism appears when you want it to

I'm reading an article at politico.com:
Obama Supporter Oprah Takes a Big Dive

I must make the disclaimer that I am not black/African American (whatever that means -- Hint: If you were born in America, you probably didn't come from Africa, and you will probably never go to Africa. Besides, there are lots of white people in Africa, and they are just a capable of being so-called African Americans. Further, there are plenty of dark skinned people who have origins of places like Haiti and Jamaica and the Bahamas that would likely never call themselves African Americans.)

But I digress, and while you're fuming because logic might escape you reading the missive above, the Politico article, in my humble opinion, is rather straight-forward, summarized thusly: Oprah has had a long and distinguished opinion rating. She backed, and later stumped for Obama, gained some traction for Obama's campaign, and then lost her approval rating.

If you didn't know that Obama and Oprah were both black in this article -- and while you might have to be living under a rock to not know these things -- the article doesn't make any statements or judgment calls relating to this fact, or its apparent effect on either Obama's candidacy or Oprah's approval rating.

So, who cries racism? Well, I guess it's anyone who feels that race is relevant. Why is it that *some* people of color can't get "that one day [they] won't be judged by the color of their skin" into their heads? I don't mean to paint a wide swath. Some doesn't mean "all", of course. A fact that might surely be lost on the people who might dismiss me simply as a whitey who doesn't "get it."

Let's take a look at a comment or two from the site:

What's wrong with you people? You typical white people? You've been given the opportunity to spew your racist hate towards Oprah's success. So glad you get the opportunity to come out of your racist country closets. Now, do you feel better since you've finally said it? Oprah is a billionaire!! Get it? She has fiven more to help you typical white people than your typical white president and his administration. You know..........the bush.cheney group, et al. Those guys are the reason the dollar isn't worth the paper it's printed on, thousands of Americans have lost their homes, the USA is in a recession,a YOU can't afford to purchase gasoline. Did black Oprah do that? You typical white people really need to denounce rush limbaugh and the likes, because you are really brain dead and useless people in a a modern and intelligent society. Your racism is not welcomed.

Let's take a look:
Source: 2006 Annual Report, page 18 The penny cost more, the nickel cost more, but the dime and quarter are way under.
The reason the dollar is depressing is because the Federal Reserve Bank is trying to prevent the market from crashing. Because the Fed reduces interest rates that banks loan to each other, it makes cash flow better. Unfortunately, the side effect of this action is risk of inflation. Why is the Fed doing this? Ideally, they should not have needed to. SOME people... OK, a LOT of people, felt that they could make money infinitely on the value of their house. So they took loans they could not pay for on houses they could not afford, with money they would not verify. The banks are culpable, but so are the consumers. Greed works in every direction. The people who have lost their homes, generally, put themselves in the position to lose their homes. To blame this on the Presidential administration is foolish.

No, the people who shout the loudest about others being racists, bigots, etc. have a lot of introspection to resolve. Whining about "You said something negative about a black person therefore you are racist!" is, well, the pot calling the kettle... you know.