Racially Insensitive or Color Blind?

In Denver, the Democratic Party just nominated Senator Barack Obama for the office of President of the United States of America. All of the commentators are discussing how historically monumental the selection of Barack Obama is.

I believe that any person who is worthy of their parties nomination to the highest office in the free world is in itself historically monumental. I have honestly not thought about the significance of Barack Obama's nomination for President as an African-American.

Then tonight, as all of the news commentators, have been discussing this issue; I wondered, Am I missing something? Was I just oblivious to the Senator's ethnic background? Or was I, as a white male, completely insensitive to the significance of Obama's nomination?

What I've come to realize, as I have thought deeply about this, is that for me Obama's ethnicity was an irrelevant fact to me. I did not see him as the "black" candidate for president. Nor did I see Hillary Clinton as a 'women' seeking that office.

I saw Senator Obama as the Junior Senator from Illinois, who as Clinton has said, gave a dynamic speech. I have always been a follower of great orators. I thought that Jesse Jackson gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard at 1988 Convention. Former U.S. Congressman Guy VanderJagt amazed me with his ability to, from memory, introduce almost everyone in the room is which he was speaking.

I see Obama as a man, who is not much older than I - which is in of it's self a topic for another blog - who through hard work, perseverance is blessed to achieve a goal of a lifetime.

I attribute this to my grandparents who, at an early age, not just taught me, but showed me how to properly evaluate someone's character. Not looking at their clothes, what they do for a living, what level of education they've achieved, what their gender is, nor the color of their skin.

I hope that in 2008 that we, the people of the greatest country in the world, can embrace and celebrate all of the Presidential nominee's historically monumental status. After we do that, evaluate each one's platform and vote accordingly.