"The Tyranny of Other People's Sanctimony"

This is just great. As usual, Charlie Pierce is required reading.


It has been hard not to notice that he is the first president in my lifetime who is treated as though he has been given permission by the country to lead it, a permission that can be rescinded at any time, for whatever reason, fair or foul. 

Read the whole thing, of course (and the comments, a couple of which prove Charlie's point). If you don't acknowledge that the race of Barack Obama doesn't play a large part in everything he does--and even more so for his opponents--you're just denying reality.