LARRY ELDER COMMENTARY: Elizabeth Edwards: John Needs Affirmative Action

The libertarian Republican commentator writes: "In explaining why her husband relies so heavily on the Internet -- as opposed to traditional media -- to get his message out, Mrs. Edwards said, 'In some ways, it's the way we have to go. We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman. Those things get you a lot of press, worth a certain amount of fundraising dollars. Now it's nice to get on the news, but not the be-all and end-all.' So the strong campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., reflects nothing more than her gender. And the competitive campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., rests primarily on his race. Hey, any black guy could pull this off -- whether Barack Obama, rapper Snoop Dogg or television personality Mr. T. What's the diff? If, according to Edwards, gender plays such an important role, what happened to the 2000 presidential candidacy of now Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C.? Or what about black former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill., whose 2004 presidential campaign went nowhere? And Braun represented a 'two-fer,' both black and a woman."

Mr. Elder continues his commentary: "Mrs. Edwards' husband supports affirmative action -- that is, preferences for the 'disadvantaged.' Yet according to Mrs. Edwards, the playing field no longer tilts against disadvantaged minorities. It now tilts against people like her white male husband. Mrs. Edwards may be onto something. An examination of a select group of 28 colleges and universities shows that when a black applicant scored between 1250 and 1300 out of 1600 on his or her SAT, the student stood a three-in-four chance of getting admitted. When, however, a white student scored between 1250 and 1300, he or she stood a one-in-four chance of admission."