In his Big Speech defending his 20-year membership in a church headed by a racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, conspiracy-believing pastor, Democratic candidate Barack Obama says America needs a frank "talk" about race.

For crying out loud, we talk incessantly about race! Pick up a newspaper -- any newspaper -- or turn on cable news and wait a few minutes. Race -- usually something about how blacks feel, how blacks think, how blacks and whites see things differently, yada, blah, etc. -- comes up.

Obama's plea reminds me of one of my "talks" about race -- this one more than 30 years ago. Back in college, I dated a young lady whom today I would call a "victicrat."

One day she came back from her sociology class. "We discussed race today," she said cheerfully, "and boy, did they get an earful." She then proceeded to tell me how she attacked "the white boys" for slavery, Jim Crow and the "continued oppression of blacks."

When I called it unfair to condemn her classmates for oppressing blacks, she said, "That's what they said, too, but we let 'em have it."

I then said, "What's so amusing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your smile. You sure look like you're having fun. Turn around. Look in the mirror."

She turned and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall. Her expression of joy even surprised her.

"You really like putting down white people," I continued. "What, is this some sort of payback for slavery?"

We argued into the night. I saw an America full of promise and hope, and she saw only barriers with little sign of improvement. Continued...