To: Road Walker who wrote (332833 ) 4/12/2007 11:31:41 AM From: longnshort Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 1570973 Obama and Imus Some black commentators are incensed that Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama did not immediately join the Rev. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in denouncing shock jock Don Imus for his bumbling comment about the Rutgers women's basketball team. Melissa Harris Lacewell, a professor of politics and black studies at Princeton University, said Mr. Obama missed an opportunity to prove himself to blacks and white liberals who would have wanted Mr. Obama take the lead in condemning Mr. Imus. "This was so easy, and his unwillingness to touch it tells me this is going to be his third rail, and race never goes away in politics," she told the Boston Globe. "Black people want to love Barack. They're doing everything they can to love Barack. We want to believe that Barack is better than this. But they will turn on him." Michael Eric Dyson, a University of Pennsylvania professor and author, said he supports Mr. Obama's campaign but questions why he did not speak up more forcefully about Mr. Imus. He added that the other presidential candidates had the same responsibility. "Here's the point: Paying attention to the issues of race is an American concern," he said. "It looks as if he's being so careful and cautious not to ruffle the feathers of the mainstream that he may inadvertently raise the hackles of the black majority." The Obama campaign declined to comment Tuesday on its handling of the issue. One adviser pointed out, however, that Mr. Obama issued a public comment before the other major Democratic candidates -- including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.