Of course, there are those out there who will say I have no right to talk about race.  I grew up in a town that had two black families and they weren’t looked on as black.  I am white, Anglo-Saxon.  But, now that the card has been played in the presidential campaigns, I am going to talk about it in the context of Barack Obama’s speech yesterday.

In case you missed the speech, you can find it YouTube or on his web site.  I strongly suggest you watch it, not read it. 

The words were wonderful.  My problem comes with the presentation.  Unlike all of his signature speeches given to date on the campaign trail, this was not given in a huge arena with screaming throngs of fans.  It was given in a large, sit-down setting.  Obama was not standing in the round, but on stage behind a podium.  He was not flanked by high-profile supporters, but by US flags.

The setting was presidential but the words were not.  Yes, those who currently supported Obama thought the words were wonderful.  Those of us a bit more skeptical didn’t.  I saw a man that did not seem at ease with what he was saying.  Unlike his normal speeches, he seemed hesitant and utilized teleprompters.  I am not saying that using teleprompters is a weakness.  I am saying it is not “Obama”-like.  

The speech did not whip the listener into a frenzy like his normal speeches do.  Why not?  Why is it that, when talking about something that goes to the core of who the candidate is, the candidate seems stiff and uptight in delivery?

I don’t look at Barack Obama as the “black” candidate.  I look at him as a candidate.  There is something in this particular delivery of this particular speech that causes me, as a skeptical voter, to give pause and think again about whether this man is really presidential material.