I keep hearing it said that we have come a long way from slavery to an African-American president. I hate to spoil the party, but President-Elect Barack Obama is the son of an East African, specifically a Kenyan. The overwhelming majority of slaves in the United States were, or were descendants of, West Africans. Barack Obama is no more a descendant of slaves than I am. He has no more connection to slavery than I do. If and when we have a president of West African descent, on both sides of the family (Obama's mother is caucasian), we can say that we have come a long way from slavery.
Addendum: Steve Sailer makes the same point here.
