Washington:
With a black President, in the White House, can race issues be far behind? A new controversy for Barack Obama over the Shirley Sherrod episode brings the spotlight on the colour of Obama's officials - the question being asked: Is Barack Obama's White House too white? That's what the NYT's columnist Maureen Dowd says.
This accusation has been caused by an episode that is now known as the Shirley Sherrod affair.
Shirley Sherrod, a black agriculture department official was caught on tape boasting about how she used her federal position to deny help to a white farmer.
The White House immediately fired her, without giving her a chance to clarify her stand. It later came to light, that the video had been selectively edited.
A repentant White House offered Sherrod her job back and she even got a personal call from President Obama.
But the New York Times now says, what the White House is missing are more Black people in the administration.
"Sure perhaps if there had been more black people in the office. Yes, perhaps they would have known that Sherrod and her husband were big names in the civil rights industry...that there is something not right here," said Prof Dorian Warren Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Columbia University.
As it did at the height of his election - the race issue has come back to haunt Obama.
The obvious question that arises is - if a white official were caught seemingly making such statements on air, would they be summarily dismissed without any attempt to understand their side of the story?
Experts say America's first Black president is in a no win situation - accused by some of pursuing a pro-black agenda and by others of not doing enough for African Americans.
"The problem however is that no matter what he does he can't win. By running from race, there are elements on the right who are still making this an issue like rush Limbaugh. They are going to make this an issue because it works as a strategy for the right," said Prof Warren.
This accusation has been caused by an episode that is now known as the Shirley Sherrod affair.
Shirley Sherrod, a black agriculture department official was caught on tape boasting about how she used her federal position to deny help to a white farmer.
The White House immediately fired her, without giving her a chance to clarify her stand. It later came to light, that the video had been selectively edited.
A repentant White House offered Sherrod her job back and she even got a personal call from President Obama.
But the New York Times now says, what the White House is missing are more Black people in the administration.
"Sure perhaps if there had been more black people in the office. Yes, perhaps they would have known that Sherrod and her husband were big names in the civil rights industry...that there is something not right here," said Prof Dorian Warren Institute for Research in African-American Studies, Columbia University.
As it did at the height of his election - the race issue has come back to haunt Obama.
The obvious question that arises is - if a white official were caught seemingly making such statements on air, would they be summarily dismissed without any attempt to understand their side of the story?
Experts say America's first Black president is in a no win situation - accused by some of pursuing a pro-black agenda and by others of not doing enough for African Americans.
"The problem however is that no matter what he does he can't win. By running from race, there are elements on the right who are still making this an issue like rush Limbaugh. They are going to make this an issue because it works as a strategy for the right," said Prof Warren.
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