This was funny when it happened – during the Democratic Primary, way back in January of 2008. (That seems like it was more than a year ago.) Now, it's not only hilarious but of course takes on a whole new meaning.
Basically, the moderator, Joe Johns, asks Barack Obama is he agrees with Toni Morrison, who once wrote that Bill Clinton was, "the nation’s first black president." Hillary Clinton was sitting right next to him, which made the moment even more amusing. Obama's answer was measured, and quite funny.
Morrison eventually endorsed Obama for President. When
asked by Time Magazine if she regretted, " referring to Bill Clinton as the first black President," she said, "People misunderstood that phrase. I was deploring the way in which President Clinton was being treated, vis-à-vis the sex scandal that was surrounding him. I said he was being treated like a black on the street, already guilty, already a perp. I have no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race." Obama said something little different – basically, that Bill Clinton connected with African-Americans in a way that previous Presidents had not. Then he questioned Bill's dancing ability. It's quite funny, and has much more resonance now. Take a look:
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