Columnist Anatoly Kaletsky wrote in “The Times of London” today that America is not ready to elect a black president.

Anatoly, you get it all wrong.

Race is an issue, but it is not the issue. And if anything, the fact that McCain is an old-rich-white-guy is going to hurt his chances at getting elected more than Obama’s blackness.

Obama has stepped up onto a platform that was born into the public’s conscience when Will Smith started headlining movies. A platform that was conceived during Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches. We have a long history of African-American men and women leading us and teaching us and showing us how to manifest the true American spirit. A history that spans our entire 231 years.

America is ready for a black president.