Looking at a photo of Barack Obama. (Birthday Boy)

There is a picture posted on another site that show Obama surrounded by a number of black Africans. Everyone in the photo is relaxed and happy.

It called to mind many other pictures of him surrounded by people of different colors and nationalities and ages. So many show people with the same engaged, happy expressions on their faces.

The thought came to me: He truly is a Man of the People. ALL of the People. Just like "All lives matter."

With President Obama, there was no need to remind people that "black lives matter (too)" and that white lives were suddenly "losing ground" because he was only going to look after his "own" people.

We were all his own, and he was ours. I was never prouder to be an American, and I was happy for my black friends and co-workers for seeing that example of accomplishment that reflected their identities.

Heck, if there were ever an Italian-American president I would be happy. It would be a fun thing for me to imagine big pots of tomato sauce simmering in the White House kitchens.

It might not be as important to me as Obama's election was to the Black community, because Italian-Americans aren't still suffering systematically from prejudice in this country. Unfortunately, many of my ethnic group have moved on to being "White" and are convinced that everything is slanted to advantage all those "n-words" and that "hardworking people like them can't get a decent break".

They don't remember their moms and dads, grandparents or great-grandparents being called "dago" and "wop". And even if they heard the word today, it could never measure in pain to the "n-word".

That makes Barack Obama's accomplishments more noteworthy. He had to appeal to the larger part of America's better nature in accepting him. All whats-his-name has to do is appeal to the worse in a small portion of America and let them spread the ugly.