Say What? Barack's a Threatening Black Man

As a black man Barack Obama has to walk a very thin line.

As discussed on NPR News and Notes, it will be tricky for Obama to maintain a Presidential posture and take hard Presidential stands while still existing as the "cool black friend" that some voters now have in their minds.

If Obama appears too strong or starts snarling like John McCain, he is likely to be perceived as arrogant at best and threatening at worst.

So here, as if on cue, a reporter describes Presidential hopeful Barack Obama physically "intimidating" Senator Joe Lieberman:

"While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.

Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances."

You're getting this, right? What the hell is "slightly intimidating?" Is the reporter suggesting that Obama is so unruly and his arguments so weak that he would need to physically intimidate Sen. Lieberman, on the Senate floor no less, to make his point? And think about it. One person's intimidation is another one's enthusiastic exchange. Who decides what is intimidating? Lieberman gets to decide in this case and he didn't say it.

Of course, the article later goes on to explain that both Senators attempted to keep everything congenial. But I have a problem with words like "backed into a corner" and physically "intimidating" unless they come from the person experiencing those actions. If Lieberman felt physically intimidated he needs to say so, otherwise the reporter is out of line.

Now some folks say that this little dust up is good for Obama. From that standpoint, standing up to Lieberman means that Obama is strong enough to withstand the right-wing attack machine and lead the country in troubled times. I'm just not so sure that the majority of voters will be made to feel more reassured than afraid by media reports like this.

It's going to be a long bumpy road to November. What do you think about this?