If you look at me, you know I am a black man, not from Africa but that I was born here in America. Without a question or doubt, you will see me as a son of America. I am the product of the American culture whose roots date back to slavery and at some point, to Africa, Europe and, from my understanding, a Spanish culture as well.

I think of myself as one who has inherited the true nature of what America stands for. And for the record, I am proud of who I am, all of me.

Senator Barack Hussein Obama, according to the controversy surrounding him now regarding the man he calls his spiritual advisor, speaks volumes to me about who he is and what he truly stands for. To me, he appears to be a man still in search of whom and what he is.

If I didn’t know the man’s history I would swear that he was one born to a black father and a black mother. I am basing this observation on what I’ve seen of him, heard from him and the actions of those with whom he has chosen to align himself.

He has a spiritual advisor who rants and raves like some white bigot out of the old days of America. He is supported by a black female celebrity who has been quoted as having said ‘I got some good white folks who worked for me.’

For a man who has spoken at length about bringing a change to America, one has to question as to what this change might be when all those around him speak as if America is a place where one has no reason to be proud of this nation’s accomplishments.

America has taken imperfect people and made a place where the impossible is possible. While there are still obstacles to overcome, hope gives reason to the effort.

I’ve heard Obama speak of how he and his spiritual advisor have known one another for more than twenty years and how he understands what being black in America feels like. How he has struggled in his own right as a black man. Obama is well educated with a well-educated wife and a future, with or without the Presidency, which says neither he nor his family will ever have to struggle to make ends meet. Yet, his wife has found very little about America with which to be proud.

I am the father of two children who share both black and white genes and cultures and if either of them were ever to act as if they are more of one race than the other, I would feel as if I have failed as a parent. My children are both black and white and all the other things in between, and if my wife and I are lucky, we can pass this love of who they are on to them.

It appears to me that Barrack Hussein Obama never had the love of who he is, passed down to him, and this is a sad, sad thing for a man who intends to be a leader who intends teach love and understanding to others.

What can one think of a man who has climbed so high and has such little regard for his heritage, his past, his mother or his nation?

America looked to Obama for hope,,,

and found a Politician.