A Black Senator?

In an exercise of thinly disuised cheerleading, The Tennessean staff writer Bonna de la Cruz suggests that Tuesday's election will determine whether Tennessee "is ready to send a black man to the U.S. Senate."

It will tell us no such thing.

Undoubtedly, some will vote against Ford because he is black, others will vote for him because of race. However, the election will ultimately be decided by the block of voters who will pull a lever based on their perceptions of the candidate's positions, experience and character.

Is The Oracle ready to elect a black man to the U.S. Senate? Well, if he lived in Maryland, he would vote for Michael Steele. In Tennessee, for reasons having nothing to do with race, the decision will be otherwise.