Blacks Pondering Whites Voting for Obama

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign has transcended racial politics. (Chip Somodevilla - Getty Images)

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A CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted in December 2006 found that 54 percent of blacks believe that America is ready for a black president -- even though 65 percent of whites say it is.

"I never thought I'd see a black president in my lifetime, but it could happen," said Sidney Strickland, 57, an African American lawyer and a founding board member of Revere Bank in Laurel. "Of course, it may not happen." Why had he hedged? "You don't want to be totally disappointed," he said. "You have to protect yourself psychologically."

A friend, Harold J. Logan, also plays the divining game cautiously.

"I have a theory that it's easier for people to vote their hopes early on, but as we get closer to actually picking a president, they begin to vote their fears and uncertainties," said Logan, a black writer and co-founder of the W.E.B. Du Bois Society, a program for talented African American high school students based in Atlanta.

As the campaign moves into the Deep South, the race game will become even more exciting. What white state of mind will we find in the Old Confederacy? Be careful how you answer. Give whites too much credit for a change of heart, and they could break yours. Give them too little credit, and they could blow your mind.

E-mail:milloyc@washpost.com

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