Am I an Oreo, Too?

Every week there's at least one new turd that pops up in the media with something to say about my man Obama. This week it's Washington talk-show host, John McLaughlin. Evidently, he's still living.

In a discussion about the recent Jesse Jackson incident, McLaughlin claimed Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo — a black on the outside, a white on the inside." Then he asked his panelists this question: "Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that…an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?"

This is really Mclaughable. But seriously, do white people really believe there's one kind of 'black' in this day and age? An even better question...do black people? Let's face it, black people, this perception issue we got going on isn't just a matter of how other people view us. Just ask Jesse, the nutcracker himself.

I kinda get it, but then I don't. When I look at Barack and Michelle, I just see a dynamic power couple. I don't see oreos, someone trying to act white...none of that. Of course Barack is extraordinary, but that has nothing to do with him being black. He has that 'it' factor that attracts people. Maybe some are confusing his personality and charisma with all those other qualities he shares with plenty of black folks. Well-spoken, educated, responsible blacks are everywhere. And I'm one of them. Does that make me an oreo too?