an african-american president was no longer a dream. it was an ever-expanding political reality, as soon as barack obama completed that convention keynote address. and now the white house that was built by slaves is home to descendents of slaves. the american myth has always been that anyone can grow up to be president. that was our mythology back when slavery was still legal. that was our mythology when women still didn't have the right to vote. we still have never had a woman president, but our mythology remains that anyone can grow up to be president. we still have never had a jewish president. there are too many traps in modern american poverty, and too many complexities to the socioeconomic dynamics that produce our presidents, to allow us to say, without reservation, that this really is the country where anyone can grow up to be president. but throughout our history, we've been moving ever closer to that ideal. anyone can grow up to be president.