I know you plan to vote for McCain but let me share why I will vote
for Obama. This something I wrote after Powell gave his endorsement:

Because of many of the disastrous actions of the Bush Administration
and in particular their unwise war in Iraq America is already
displaying signs of what could be an irreversible decline from its
peak of power and prestige. Our next president is facing an enormous
task with two wars and an economy in shambles, but out of our
impending crisis a strong president could bring a return to a better
America.

We have been stunned to see ourselves of late: the hubris but not
the honor and grace to justify it; confidence made hollow by our
blatant shortcomings, the realization that the America we thought we
lived in is riddled with inequities, ineptitude, and a growing
unwillingness to strive to be the best in science, education, and
leadership. We have had a major comeuppance these last few years, but
maybe this trial will be our renewal. Maybe the enthusiasm that is
being tapped into by Obama is a widespread desire and willingness to
regain our place in the world and in our own eyes. If we are willing
this time to choose a man who not only strove for the best education
he could earn, but is as proudly erudite as he is profoundly
practical, a man who is willing to use power wisely not merely covet
and wield it, who tells us without hesitation we too must work hard
and be our best selves, then maybe the wake up call of these last 7-8
years will be seen as the trial that allowed us to move beyond the
dangerous complacency of recent years to be the America the world has
long admired.

I would also add this:
Obama is a deeply introspective man who spends time thinking about the
“why” of his the conclusions. This may be the single most important
requirement of a leader. Any person with enough self-regard to run for
president believes he can make the tough decisions ahead, but the key
is how he will go about making those decisions. Obama is the kind of
man who values different perspectives. He knows if he can step around
and look at a problem from several different points of view he will
more than likely not only avoid missing some crucial aspect but he
will probably make a better decision. Obama was elected president of
the Law Review at Harvard precisely because conservative students felt
he would give fair hearing and consideration to their points of view.
He will chose advisors for the quality and variety of their expertise
not their ideological adherence.

Think what we expect of our next president. More than ever we need
someone who will not have a partisan agenda but will truly be
presidential. We need someone who will act deliberately but wisely,
who isn?t afraid to seek advise from across the political spectrum.
And equally importantly we need a president who can inspire.

Obama knows the power of words to not only inspire but comfort. In
periods of national crisis we have had two such gifted leaders: FDR
and Lincoln. We recite Lincoln?s speeches to this day because he, as
president, was able to make our fears and strengths manifest:

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the
right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish
the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him
who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan–to
do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among
ourselves, and with all nations.

These were Lincoln?s carefully crafted words not those of a
speechwriter. They reflect his deepest thoughts and hopes as the Civil
War was finally ending. He knew he needed to help Americans resolve
their anger and come together as a nation.

Obama has already given a speech of this quality when he spoke last
spring. He showed us then we are at last close to reconciling our
conflicts surrounding the issue of race in this country. He also gave
this kind of speech back in 2004 when he inspired millions with his
“We are not a red America. We are not a blue American. We are the
United States of America!”

Obama is able to articulate what we Americans wanted to hear and make
us believe we can be our very best selves. He has the ability to sooth
and reassure in these uncertain times just as FDR did with his
fireside chats.

We need an inspirational leader right now. We need someone who has
thought long and deeply about the issues we face. Most of all we need
a president who has the humility and strength to bring the best minds
together to move this country forward.

That is why I am voting for Barack Obama.

I absolutely agree with your statement: “When you can someday tell someone you have, for example, a great new friend but don't need to mention that she is black before they meet her, then race will truly have become a non issue.” In fact that is the very point I was trying to make. When we can vote against (or for) anyone without anyone wanting to talk about that persons race, then we will have moved beyond racism.

I think we're saying the same thing. I apologize if I didn't express myself well.

I'll probably be voting for McCain, but I can't deny that it is a great achievement for race equality that Obama has made it this far (and probably will become president). However, I believe that we will not have proven that we are not a racist nation when we elect a black president. We will have proven we are not a racist nation when someone can vote against a black candidate, and no one assumes it was because of race.

I sometimes wonder what my grandkids will think, in 40 years, when they learn in history class about the first black president, and I tell them I voted against him. Will they assume I had some racist in me? History books do have a tendency to over-simplify things, and it's easy to assume people in the past were less enlightened.

So although I won't have as much of an emotionally reaction as the old woman did (bless her heart), I will feel like I am making a part of history–I will probably be voting against a black man for president, and it will have nothing to do with race. If I can say that without people looking askance, then we have truly moved beyond race as a nation. At least partially for the sake of my reputation in the eyes of my future grand-children, I hope we have.

Obama looks rather ethnic to me. And if he hadn't gained the nomination, Hillary Clinton would have. Pretty amazing, really. But at the same time I do believe it's hard to argue that minorities of any stripe have fully gained equality status. It seems to me the best measure of broad acceptance in that regard are high-profile, state-wide elected offices — Senators and governors (district elections can (and actively are) gerry-mandered, so they aren't a very adequate test). In that regard, women have made the greatest strides. I can't say I am a big Hillary fan, but I fully expect that there will be a woman president before too much longer. I'm more skeptical in other respects. For example, the only black US senator is Barack Obama. If he gets elected president, the number will be zero. Although there are currently two black governors, only one of them (Duval Patrick) was actually elected. There are currently three Hispanic Senators and one Hispanic governor. Two current senators (both from Hawaii) and one governor are Asian. That last one — Bobby Jindal in LA — was quite a coup by any measure (and also the only Republican of the bunch). At any rate, all minorities (including women) are underrepresented at the highest levels of government, relative to their population percentages. That's the bad news. The good news is that, especially over the last decade, the trajectory is definitely positive in all cases.

Palin may not be a particularly strong candidate, but the very fact that she is the Republican candidate for VP itself reflects a breaking of barriers. So yeah, I do think the “lid is off” as lotusflwr described it.

Now that the lid is off, I hope to see a much more diverse bunch of candidates running for President, as well as continuing diversity in the rest of the elective bodies at state and federal levels.

Some political science graduate student should figure out what percentage of the popuation are voting in precinct where there not one competative election.

As the U.S becomes a one party state will people still get excited about the general election or will the first Tuesday in November become as anti-climatic as the general elections for mayor in places like Baltimore or Philadelphia or Chicago?

Even with Clinton the right wingers were not nearly as frightened, panicked and jittery as they are now. They are now still hoping against hope that the Palin(McCain) ticket will pull it off. When it doesn't happen I don't know how they'll respond.