Will Barack Obama Be Assassinated?

While it may be far too early to predict whether or not Senator Barack Obama will be elected President of the United States, imagine if you can, the following situation:

January 20, 2009. The crowd is abuzz. The excitement in the air is palpable. But then again, so is the tension. Scattered amongst the throngs of supporters and adoring fans at the steps of U.S. Capitol, there are individuals who are far from excited with Obama's meteoric ascension to the Presidency. (Who could have predicted that he would so easily overcome Hillary in the polls?) Some of these individuals flaunt their views flagrantly, with signs such as, "No N***** should ever be President," while others, probably far more dangerous, lurk in the shadows.

The beat of drums from the Army Marching Band indicates the start of what everyone was lined up waiting on the side of the streets for. A shout goes up. President Obama, inaugurated and sworn in just minutes ago by Chief Justice Roberts, appears in the presidential parade vehicle: a stunning 1972 Rolls Royce decorated with red, white and blue streamers and smiley faces drawn by the President's daughters. Accompanied by his wife and two daughters, President Obama sits atop the rear seat top of the immaculate Rolls Royce like a newly crowned king. A humble king. He gives one of his signature smiles and a thumbs up, and the crowd goes wild. Never before had the future looked so bright. Never before did people feel such hope in the wake of a disastrous war campaign in the middle-east. And never before did people recall feeling so drawn towards any political figure. One mother with her 17 year old son points to President Obama and whispers in her son's ear, "Now that is someone you should strive to be like." But rather than get any kind of response, her son glares stubbornly ahead, visibly upset by the spectacle.

"What's wrong, son? Why are you angry?"

Her son is quick to reply this time. "He's a damn n*****, mother. Or didn't you notice?" The mother is horrified by this. But before she could think of a suitable reprimand, she hears a distant *Pop Pop Pop, and suddenly everyone around her seems to be collapsing like dominoes. So many people are screaming that the sound is almost unbearable, and the mother covers her ears. The younger, more athletic men are already pushing their way through to the streets in panic. An elderly man next to the mother faints, and at least half a dozen champagne glasses go crashing on the sidewalks. Pandemonium. A man with bushy eyebrows to the right of the mother shouts, "Take cover, ma'am!," as he pushes at her to take her down.

Atop the Rolls Royce that has now come to a halt, President Obama is clutching his stomach, and the pain is visible in his grim visage. Charismatic even in this moment of crisis, he refuses to utter a groan or give any audible indication that he is in pain. Blood splutters forth from his trembling fingers. The First Lady is screaming as she clutches at her husband. The children immediately start bawling. Within seconds, dozens of tall men in suits and little telephone cords sticking out of their ears form a tight circle around the Rolls Royce, protecting the President and his family from any further threats. Military Police are everywhere, blowing whistles and ordering the crowd to step away from the President's vehicle. And in the distance, an ambulance is heard...

Is America ready for its first African American President? Hopefully. In this age when racist jokes are accepted and used so commonly as flippant humor, it seems hardly likely that there are still radicals out there who are truly racist. Yet, it would be foolish to deny that they exist, as made evident by the occasional news story on racist violence. The assassination of Pakistan's former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is a grim reminder that hate, whether it's fueled by racism or a personal/political vendetta, can cripple a nation. For days after the assassination, Pakistan was aflame with riots, demonstrations, and general turmoil. Stocks plummeted, and Pakistan's future became a big question mark. Will America, for all its social and economic superiority, fare any differently if its newly elected president is killed by a racist attack? Let us all hope and pray that such a tragedy never happens...