The argument against appeasement

"It's a little scary to think that he would be leading the country. Is it time to turn the country around and make white people the slaves?"

God bless Judy Avila, a Democrat from Spring Hill, Fla., for her candor about Barack Obama in this story that ran in today's St. Petersburg Times.

People like Avila offer proof, at least to me, that no amount of contrition, humility or rationale from Obama will persuade some voters of his worthiness to be president. It's all been a farce promoted by some of these Hillary holdouts and undecided voters, who claim they want more from Obama to prove himself ready for the White House.

Do we need to call it for what it is? Or will I be accused of playing the race card?

We hear so often about what Barack must do to win over the so-called working-class voters: prove his patriotism (wear that flag pin, sir); tone down his supposedly elite mannerisms (huh?); extend himself to the "army of 18 million"; encourage wife Michelle Obama to show a softer side (flash more teeth); avoid any overt links to civil-rights luminaries like Al Sharpton; even offer up more fodder for sorry-ass comedians who can't come up with jokes about him.

Enough. Barack is running for president and the politics involved are serious business.

He doesn't have time to appease racists and pacify idiots. No one does. If people are truly interested in the issues, they can roll up their sleeves, cut on their computers and do the hard work of informing themselves about the issues. Barack has been pretty clear throughout the campaign about the policies he would pursue, if elected.

There is serious work awaiting Obama or McCain in the White House and beyond. Being president is about picking Supreme Court justices, protecting civil liberties, responsibly deploying our troops or returning them home, among a thousand (maybe even a million) other things.

It's most certainly not about proving his humanity to people who would first deny him that based on the color of his skin.