As if mimicking The Onion, Ebony magazine next month includes Barack Obama on its list of "the 25 coolest brothers of all time".
In the August print edition of the black interest monthly, Harriette Cole writes:
What makes Barack cool:
The very fact that Barack Obama thinks on camera and presents unmanufactured ideas to the listening public -- that's cool. That a Brother is running for president of the United States and being embraced by millions of people for who he is. That's cool. That he has boldly stepped up, all the while remembering the shoulders on which he stands. Cool. That this middle-aged man who's consistently called young, who exhibits calm under duress and control under simmering fire, could become the leader of the free world. Excuse me, but that's cool. Young people flock to his call because they trust his promise for the future. Cool. Educated people rush to his side because they appreciate intelligent conversation after 7+ years of inarticulate gibberish. Cool. Brown people embrace him because we can't believe a Brother has made it this far with his integrity, vaues, sense of self, swagger and vision intact. Cool. Even in the murk of politics Barack Obama genuinely loves his wife, his family and his country. Watching real love live: that's cool.
Among the other 24 coolest: Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Denzel Washington, Sammy Davis Jr., Bob Marley, Ed Bradley, Muhammed Ali, Miles Davis, Walt Frazier and Snoop Dogg.
No argument from me there.
Incidentally, the only other politician is Adam Clayton Powell Jr, a Democratic congressman from Harlem and the political forebear of Charlie Rangel.
