Barack Obama, Lightning Catcher

Some say Barack Obama, a Democratic presidential frontrunner, "caught lightning in a jar. Some say the lightning catcher can win," despite the fact that "less than 4 percent of the nation's elected officials are black, and 90 percent of them represent predominantly black or predominantly black-and-Hispanic constituencies. Thus, not many black politicians have won elections when the majority of voters were white. Only three black U.S. senators and two black governors have been elected since Reconstruction. As a consequence, only a handful of blacks have even dared to run for president." -- "The Steepest Climb: For Black Candidates, the Presidency Has Long Been Out of Reach. In 2008, the Goal Doesn't Seem So Unattainable," by Kevin Merida, Washington Post.