It is difficult to think that intelligent people can dismiss Avishai's  honest, thoughtful and soul searching article  with wise cracks and  puns.  Perhaps it was the disservice of the title of the article which kept the readers who have commented above from actually grasping the meaning of his argument.  I, too, grew up with race riots, fears, and prejudice. But the world we live in now is quite different from the 40's and 50's. We need to look at issues, problems, and possible solutions and see a way forward.  Having listened to an hour long tape of Senator Obama being interviewed by the team on the San Francisco Chronicle, I hope that he receives the Democratic nomination....and that I get a chance to vote for him.

Thank you Jewcy for providing this well reasoned and passionate article for me to read.