Significant Event?

At least once every five minutes some commentator mentions how significant it is for a black man to win the Iowa Caucus for the democrats. And that's on Fox News.

It is historic, but how significant is it really? Maybe its the perception of my red state glasses, but before you crown him king for such a monumental feat shouldn't the accomplishment be weighed against the competition? Yes an African American man has won the first caucus of the 2008 election, but against who? A former first-lady who is loathed at an almost 3 to 1 margin and claims her experience as wife makes her the perfect Commander-in-Chief, and a former ambulance chasing trial lawyer with a $400 haircut.

Maybe my disgust for Hillary and Edwards is blinding me from seeing the real achievement?

I don't want to discredit Obama at all, but he didn't win an open race on his own. Obama was propelled by an anti-Hillary sentiment and the lack of an alternative choice. To put it plainly, in an open field in a general election, I don't believe Obama gets more than a third of the Iowa vote.

Congratulations to Barack Obama on the win. There is no question that we have come far as a nation when a black man is probably the front runner for the democratic nomination. I think its great, but lets not make more out of it than it is. When he racks up three or four more primaries (which he probably will) then it will be a significant statement. If he get the nomination it will be an even greater statement. And if he wins the election, it would be a clear signal that broadscale racism is virtually dead. But the whole horse race is left, we've only just cleared the gates.