Marc on affirmative action: "Ok, after we get past the the fact that he was helped by affirmitive action (and actually even was one of the few good students helped by that expensive program ) that automatically shuts out white students no matter the background."

Peter T. ..."one of the few good students helped by that expensive programs"? That surely is an exaggeration, Marc. And, given the enormous advantage that white males have had in this country for literally centuries, affirmative action is a small price to pay. Honestly, we white guys who hang out on the DBIS, have advantages that we don't even realize! Are some deserving white men hurt by this, sure, but generations of black-Americans were thoroughly denied access to resources and opportunities in far greater, and more damaging ways.

And as far as the educational backgrounds of Obama, Bush, and Palin, Rosskolnikov was right-on. Obama has some serious smarts, the kind you demonstrate in the classroom and on the street.

Peter T.