Is Ferraro a Racist or a Clinton Scapegoat?

She was once the poster girl for the societal advances when she was picked by Walter Mondale to be his presidential running mate in 1984.

Now, Geraldine Ferraro -- the first female vice presidential candidate in the history of the nation back then -- has become the first casualty of the racially charged war of words coming from the Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign she supports.

Ferraro was quoted recently as saying that Barack Obama wouldn't be a contender if he was a white man and that people voting for him were really supporting a concept, not him.These comments were portrayed as racist by the media but the question is were they really?

It is true that more blacks than ever before are casting their ballots; most of them for Obama. Those votes gave him landslide victories in several states. However, this doesn't explain his big wins in numerous states without large black populations.

Obama took the high road saying he wasn't personally offended by Ferraro's comments and called her statement "ridiculous." While saying Ferraro's words were ridiculous takes some of the sting out of them for Obama, it was just another slap at the accomplishments of black men.

Despite being a senator, a highly trained attorney, and a happily married man, to believe Ferraro, he is still nothing but a token. Why is it that no matter how much black people achieve they are still seen as the exception, the affirmative action candidate, rather than being judged on their merits?

To make matters worse, Ferraro was given the opportunity to explain her remarks on "Good Morning America" yesterday. Rather than doing so, she spent the time defending herself. She also proclaimed she was not racist. Yet, her comment was solely race based.

Clinton may have more years in Washington than Obama but neither she nor he has been President of the United States, so their level of experience in respect to that job is the same.

Still, one must wonder if Ferraro isn't a scapegoat. After all, when Bill Clinton made what was perceived to be derogatory comments downplaying Obama's win in South Carolina, there was no outcry from Hillary and he remains on the campaign trail stumping for his wife.

Sen. Clinton did apologize for her husbands words, but that was after initial denials that he said anything wrong. In fact, she didn't atone for his words until she went to a conference in New Orleans in front of a majority black crowd.

Maybe blacks are willing to overlook the Clinton's transgressions in lieu of an easier target.