I'll always remember reading with fascination how Kobe Bryant, who grew up in Italy where his father was playing in the Italian basketball leagues, came back to the U.S. and had to learn ebonics like a second language in order to fit in with the black community.

Halle Berry found herself naturalized into the black community when she won an Oscar, after a life-time of harassment for being "too white".

Its complicated being black and its gotten even more complicated because its gone beyond skin color, features and hair to include an ideology. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice have been excommunicated from the black community for embracing the wrong ideology. Bill Cosby is on the bubble as is Juan Williams.

Samuel's explanation makes Obama out to be some poor confused soul in need of a mentor--or he's a cynical panderer exchanging future political favors for black bona fides. Neither is particularly flattering, but right now, the perception of political expediency in renouncing Wright isn't helped by the explanation that he joined the church in the first place to get some street cred with the brothers.

I think there is a very real possibility that Obama, having lost white voters; is now on the verge of losing black voters as well. Everything about Obama has been entirely too white with the exception of his association with a genuine black church and his marriage to an honest-to-God black girl (such as she is...). The argument, incredibly being made in his defense, that he used to church to construct his own political career, can't sit well with African-Americans who have been subjects of ritual political abuse for centuries (and always by Democrats...). Obama is in John McCain territory here--an unenthusiastic choice for a few crumbs from the master's table.

Tomorrow night will be very interesting indeed.