Our status as a superpower is based only on our ability to fight a war and not on our ability to influence nations. We are now faced with the dilemma of electing the first woman president or the first African-American president. I am pretty sure the lobbyists and the media will conspire to change this equation before election day. I can see the subtle attempts to put doubts in the minds of people and there may even be a staged crisis closer to elections to ensure that macho Republicans get voted back to power.

We no longer want to confront racism which is still alive and kicking in our society, we don't want to acknowledge it and, therefore, we do nothing about it. There is a feeling that we have given African Americans equality and civil rights, so what more could they want? Well, we have to acknowledge that this is more than just a legal problem. It is a problem that permeates our social and cultural structure our education and out thinking. We have criticized others for dividing their constituencies by race, or religion but we are guilty of the same thing. Our constituencies are divided; we are constantly talking about the African-American or Hispanic or Asian voting blocs -- as seen in the current campaigns.