Obama Wave Stuns Clinton's Black Supporters

And should some upstart decide to take him on in 2010 for siding with Clinton in this year's presidential race? "My thing is: Bring it on!" Palmer declared.

Bravado has its place in American politics, but so does perspective.

Black Clinton supporters are feeling the same heat that black backers of Walter Mondale felt in 1984. Many black elected officials signed on early with Mondale, some because of the former vice president's civil rights record and his long ties to African Americans, some because of practical political considerations: They knew Jesse Jackson wasn't going to be the Democratic nominee, and so they went with the likely winner. They played it safe.

What many didn't foresee was how much excitement Jackson's campaign would generate in black communities, and how many new voters he would bring into the Democratic Party. His 1984 campaign became a cause for many who were not invested in politics, a way of embracing hope -- Jackson's equivalent of Obama's change -- and what it meant to be black at that point in time. Jackson drew large crowds and racked up big black vote totals. Black political and civil rights icons found themselves on the outside for being on the wrong side. Mickey Leland, a popular Texas congressman who later died in a plane crash, was booed and hissed at his own state's Democratic Party convention for backing Mondale. At the Democratic National Convention, Andrew Young was jeered by black delegates loyal to Jackson, as was Coretta Scott King, who was brought to tears by the experience. Jackson was so ashamed by the treatment of King that he intervened, telling black delegates: "It's a source of embarrassment to me . . . for you to boo or hiss any black leader in this country."

Like Jackson back then, Obama's campaign is creating unease for black politicians who find themselves out of sync with their constituencies. One big difference, of course: Obama is in a position to win.

The moment, observes Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor and longtime speaker of the California assembly, is like nothing that has ever been realized for a black officeholder. "It's like Michael Jordan and Dr. J. wrapped into one, playing basketball by themselves," says Brown, who is neutral in the presidential race.

That black voters have so embraced Obama, even against the legacy of the Clintons, is not surprising to Brown. "I think most white politicians do not understand that the race pride we all have trumps everything else."

It appears many black politicians also didn't understand how far racial pride would extend this election season. They are being called out on blogs, and petitioned in their home districts for going against Obama -- to their surprise and dismay.

"Some African American leaders, quite frankly, underestimated him," said Cassandra Butts, a longtime Obama friend and adviser.

They're not underestimating him anymore.