On Tuesday around noon, it became official: Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States, and black people won’t have President George W. Bush to kick around anymore. Some of us may find that hard to do.

Just think of it: NAACP board Chairman Julian Bond won’t be able to give his annual anti-Bush tirade at the organization’s convention. No more cracks about Republicans being America’s version of the Taliban. No more NAACP Voter Education Fund “issue ads” all but claiming Bush supports lynching.

Bush-bashers who skewer him for supporting the No Child Left Behind Act will feel an emptiness inside, although they were on shaky logical grounds to begin with. Really, what can you do with otherwise intelligent people who make remarks like this: “No Child Left Behind is awful, and it’s underfunded.”

A columnist colleague of mine said pretty much that to NAACP Washington, D.C. bureau chief Hilary Shelton back in November. Shelton responded by agreeing wholeheartedly. Neither he nor my colleague quite grasped the notion that bad laws shouldn’t be funded at all, “under” or otherwise. By contrast, Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights did have enough integrity to point out that the NCLB law did have some good provisions.

The NCLB law was a bipartisan effort supported by none other than Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, a Democrat with some pretty liberal street cred. That didn’t stop the Bush-bashing when it came to NCLB and darn near everything else.

Remember when Kanye West popped off, in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, about how “Bush doesn’t care about black people?" That phrase soon morphed into “George Bush doesn’t like black people,” which strikes me as something distinctly different from “not caring” about black people. After all, the people who said little to nothing about the crimes committed against black folks in New Orleans by black criminals long before Katrina hit can also be accused of “not caring” about black people. And that would be virtually all of us, Kanye included.

We cared about the increasing rate of HIV positive infections among black folks only insofar as we could use them to bash Bush or former Vice President Dick Cheney. Remember the 2004 vice presidential debate, when Cheney admitted that he wasn’t aware of the increased rate of HIV positive infections among black women? Remember the outraged reaction?

“How DARE Dick Cheney not know about the increased rate of HIV positive infections among black women?”

Had we saved some of that outrage for the brothers who are infecting those sisters, maybe the rate of infection would be lower. But black folks getting mad at irresponsible black folks? No way. Too Bill Cosbyish.

It’s time for a bit of uncomfortable truth about the growing rate of HIV positive infections among black folks: Most of it is caused by people who willingly engage in the high-risk conduct that results in getting the AIDS virus. That would be unprotected sex and injecting drugs intravenously with an infected needle. What could former President Bush and former Vice President Cheney have done about people who willingly choose to engage in high-risk, irresponsible conduct?

Why, the same thing President Obama can do: Absolutely nothing.

Oh, there’ll be the usual claim that Obama can increase funding for sex education and kick the “abstinence only” education out the window. “Abstinence only” sex ed has been widely seen as a Bush brainchild, but writer Ta-Nehisi Coates reported in the December issue of Vibe magazine that it actually started under President Clinton, who funded it for $50 million a year. Coates reported that the funding under Bush increased to $176 million a .....

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The BUSH YEARS were truly a disaster for ALL AMERICANS PERIOD! Truth is, however, that we have been "voting for the lesser of the evils" since we've been voting. The Obama difference, hopefully, is that for the first time we are not voting "against" hate and fear--but rahter for "hope and future". For those who are interested in having the "Audacity to Hope" (and moving forward towards BUILDING BEYOND RHETORIC) visit the website at : "www.americaschildrelay.com" and witness a 20 year program built by a black Vietnam Vet that has helped 100's to 1000's of kids grow into successful citizens!

by   
Maillarrym6
January 27, 2009, 8:16 am
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AS THE CROWDS ON JAN 20TH SANG
NA,NA,NA-HEY,HEY,HEY-GOODBYE, AND HOPEFULLY YOU AND THIS KIND OF POST WILL NOT BE FAR BEHIND

by   
Margoc
January 26, 2009, 9:30 am
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I wasn't aware that "Black Folks" were the only group of people that had problems with former Presidet George Bush?

by   
Crackpipeass
January 26, 2009, 6:49 am
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WebMASTER YOU ARE A GENIOUS. LIMIT THE NUMBER OF WORDS AND TIMES A PERSON CAN COMMENT. THIS IS GONNA DRIVE SEVENNOTRUMP TO BE PERCISE AND MANDINKA TO DRINK. LOL IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by   
StreetKitty
January 24, 2009, 6:37 am
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I disagree, someone was kind enough to create this game and I played it as I waited for the day to come that President Obama would take his oath of office. I still play it as I wait for Bush to face a criminal court for his crimes.
http://gamerbailout.com/view/25/Black-House.htm

by   
OnlineRIA
January 24, 2009, 12:26 am
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Bush should have been escorted straight to jail for crimes against humanity.


It has never been about kicking Bush around, although he should be kicked around, literally, no, it's more about Bush getting away with murder and not being held accountable for his actions.
Your article takes a fool hearted out-look on Bush’s presidency and responsibility. And you do it knowing newly elected president Barack Obama could never get away with such deceptions, lies and incompetence.
Not only Bush should have never been in office, but he should have been thrown out long before a second term.

by   
Manofmystique
January 23, 2009, 2:57 pm
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How about focusing on President Obama's agenda of personal and collective responsibility...for example, parental responsibility, father responsibility, children responsibility...Sexual responsibility for young and old....
NOTE: WE as Black folks are and should be proud that we have an African American Family in the White House.....It is a position of honor and respect ...AS OF 20 JAN THEY SHOULD BE REFERRED TO AS THE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT OBAMA AND MRS OBAMA OR THE FIRST LADY BUT NOT BARACK OBAMA AND MICHELLE....IT'S INSULTING AND DISRESPECTFUL

by   
Barelady0214
January 23, 2009, 10:08 am
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