Commentary by David Duke: This article was published by
Obama’s hometown newspaper shortly after his election as president. It
deserves a retrospective read.
Chicago circle nurtured him all the way to the top
Writer Toni Morrison famously dubbed Bill Clinton “the first black president” — a title he fervently embraced.
Abner Mikva, the Chicago Democratic Party stalwart and former Clinton White House counsel, offers a variation on that theme. “If Clinton was our first black president, then Barack Obama is our first Jewish president,” says Mikva, who was among the first to spot the potential of the skinny young law school graduate with the odd name.
Abner Mikva, the Chicago Democratic Party stalwart and former Clinton White House counsel, offers a variation on that theme. “If Clinton was our first black president, then Barack Obama is our first Jewish president,” says Mikva, who was among the first to spot the potential of the skinny young law school graduate with the odd name.
“I use a Yiddish expression, yiddishe neshuma, to describe him,”
explains Mikva. “It means a Jewish soul. It’s an expression my mother
used. It means a sensitive, sympathetic personality, someone who
understands where you are coming from.”