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Although Obama has been able to break the racial barrier, there can be little doubt, after all, that he is potential target for the racists who still populate too many parts of America's demographic landscape. A degree of racism, sometimes subconscious, is considerably more widespread. The most unpleasant aspect of Hillary's campaign was its success in subtly pandering to racial prejudices. However, this dangerous attempt did not go in Clinton's favour, but it has established an unfortunate dynamic that John McCain can insidiously exploitto his advantage.***

EVEN as the people around the world waited with bated breath for the end of the chauvinistic Bush era and even the legacy thereof, the front running democratic hopefuls -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- remained locked in a highly contentions race which was not only agonisingly far too long but also kept the hopes for such a prospect uncertain and surreal at best.

Also, the Americans hit hard by the wars abroad and recession at home yearned for a change, the prospect of which remained obfuscated for them till the emergence of an electoral equation only early last month when Hillary Clinton conceded defeat after fighting to the finish for clinching the coveted party nomination. Now the real game will begin and, therefore, it's time to have a fresh look at the electoral canvas.

Although the grassroots support that propelled the Obama campaign continue to be incredibly efficacious, and his consid-

erable personal appeal still dominates the electorate's mood, a protracted intra-party stand-off has already been immensely damaging for the democratic nominee and has only strengthened the position of his Republican rival by further narrowing down the modest lead the Democrats enjoyed over John McCain.

Although neither the international community nor the Americans themselves expect this veteran of the Vietnam War to bring about desired changes either globally or domestically he has already gone ahead extra miles after his boring, lacklustre nomination. The New York Times aptly describes him as "Bush, the sequel."

However, as the battle lines are more or less drawn, pending formal declaration of nomination in the party's national convention in the August next, the presumptive Republican nominee can be seen running neck to neck with Obama, his Democratic counterpart, in

opinion polls despite the Bush administration's abysmal ratings. Depending on which constituency he is addressing, McCain shrewdly tries to distance himself from the unpopular government, but his imperialistic impulses mirror the disastrous status quo the Americans want to break. He can be anything but a vehicle for the changes they are looking for.

Although he once styled himself as a maverick, McCain has later consciously drifted to the right in order to reassure the Republicans of his conservative credentials, the hallmark of Bush's neo-con dominated administration. This has, inter alia, made it easier to portray him as a symbol continuity — which presumably will be the preferred angle of attack from the Democrats.

The raucous "feel good" rhetoric that the Democratic contender effortlessly intones is a reminder that the general level of politics in the US also necessitates empty catch phrases. Yet,

Obama is a thoughtful, intelligent young man with largely liberal instincts. He thinks that the US can be transformed into a less unpalatable superpower.

The contrast with Bush or McCain is stark enough for him to be acknowledged as a far more pleasant alternative for the presidency. He has no hangover about his African roots, neither does he nourish any racial preference. On the contrary, Obama staunchly upholds American values.

According to reporters such as Gwynne Dyer: "It is now a near certainty that Obama will be the next US president, although the media will try to maintain the illusion of a race for the White House. In clinching the party's informal nomination Obama was able to inspire a movement of the sort that had accounted for a groundswell of popular support for Robert Kennedy before he fell to an assassin's bullet forty years ago.

Although Obama has been able to break the racial barrier, there can be little doubt, after all,

that he is potential target for the racists who still populate too many parts of America's demographic landscape. A degree of racism, sometimes subconscious, is considerably more widespread. The most unpleasant aspect of Hillary's campaign was its success in subtly pander-ing to racial prejudices. However, this dangerous attempt did not go in Clinton's favour, but it has established an unfortunate dynamic that John McCain can insidiously exploit to his advantage.

The US presidential election is a multi-dimensional exercise subsuming numerous determining factors and considerations. Obviously, the choice here is far from perfection. Yet, Obama is undoubtedly the best that can be hoped for in the circumstances,

although anyone who perceives him as a harbinger of epochal change is bound to be disappointed.

By now, Obama has leapt over one formidable hurdle with panache — a historical achievement that elicited a hint of pride even from cold heart of Condoleezza Rice. Of course, the more crucial barrier is still to be overcome. Observers reckon: were the global population entitled to vole for the so-called leader of the free world, Obama would win by a landslide.

The world as well as the US is for change. That change is contingent upon the judgment of the Americans. If their decision five months hence is based on content of the candidates' characters and not the colour of their skins neither they nor Barack Obama will be disappointed.

Brig (reW} Hafa is ‘ormer DG of BOSS