Civil rights in 2008 is among the most fractured, complicated, and muddied political issue one can step into. This is largely because of the fact that the country has removed all meaningful state endorsement of racism or inequality. Martin Luther King was able to be such a uniting and successful figure primarily because the battle he was fighting was clear and present.

In the decades since, the devil has been in the voliminous amount of details and runoff from the larger successes of the civil rights movement. Identity politics, affirmative action, non-state sanctioned discrimination, media hype, culture wars. Its hard to tell what is legitimate anymore. All we know is that while some (or much) of it may be, a good amount of it is pointless arguement.

Thus, leaders with no cause but to perpetuate the idea of a cause. Fighting increasingly obscure, unclear, and politicized battles (Jena 6, Katrina) on the grounds of race, but still using the language and tactics of the 1950's.

I don't know what to do about race in this country. I don't think anyone does. But Hitchens is right to point out that one place to start is to move on from these older leaders who can't seem to grasp the complexities and subtleties that define racial disagreement in this country.

Agreed - let's move on to someone who can grasp those subtleties.

Obama '08