Obama in the context of Selma

There's a terrific piece by a Washington Monthly reader that is attracting much attention in the bloggerverse today. By all means read the whole thing (which is about Obama's subtle strategy to break GOP opposition). But here's the passage relating to Obama as seen through the prism of the civil rights struggle: "White progressives often think that African American elected officials are politically naive. We will far more credit to Cornel West, who has never been elected to anything, than to an elected state senator, or even the President of the United States. ... Obama acts entirely within the tradition of mainstream African American political strategy and tactics. The epitome of that tradition was the non-violence of the Civil Rights Movement, but goes back much further in time. It recognizes the inequality of power between whites and blacks. Number one: maintain your dignity. Number two: call your adversaries to the highest principles they hold. Number three: Seize the moral high ground and Number four: Win by winning over your adversaries, by revealing the contradiction between their own ideals and their actions. It is one way that a oppressed people struggle." Amen to that.