[Cicero]

FWIW, a lot of American blacks have similar ancestry, except for the Arab part.

In the bad old days, 1/16 black ancestry made you black, unless you decided to "pass." At present, you are black if you have any black ancestry at all and you say you're black. Or if Ward Churchill can be an Indian just by saying so, then maybe you can be black just by saying so, as long as you spout the required leftist jargon.

[SeafoodGumbo]

It's amusing to see them use the "one drop" rule for defining race. I'd always thought it was a stretch, but not as preposterous, for Halle Berry (1/2 white, 1/2 black) to consider herself black instead of what she is - an even mix, but if Obama really is only 1/4 black and trying to pass, that's getting into ridiculous territory.

It's interesting that a century ago, some blacks would try to pass as white, but now we've got politicians and celebrities trying to pass as black.

[Verginius Rufus]

Homer Plessy, central figure in the Plessy v. Ferguson lawsuit challenging segregation, back in the 1890s, was 1/8 black and 7/8 white, but was expected to ride in the "colored" compartment on public transportation.