Like his politics and policies or not, its easy to see that Obama is a masterful speech maker. And he's not afraid to create some controversy and break new ground. As the first black president, he addressed the race issue early, in 2008, when he defended, then disowned, Reverend Wright.

Four years ago the term "post-racial" was being used a lot. The idea that the first Black U.S. President would put a nail in the coffin of racism in this country, heal all wounds, have everyone holding hands and maybe, in a few short years, make everyone completely color-blind.

We've avoided most of the sideshow politics (why does that phrase sound redundant?) on this blog. But with Obama's capitulation to the Birthers today by releasing his long form birth certificate, the issue has grown in importance.

Because it's about race.