Can a Muslim American Become President of the United States?

The first 43 presidents of our country have been white male. The first 4,000 members of the House of Representatives were non-Muslim. To my knowledge, we've only had one practicing Muslim in congress.

So Colin Powell's question caused me to do a double-take. Colin Powell asked, 'Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? ... Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be president?' during his endorsement of Barack Obama.

If a 20-year old Muslim American soldier, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, can die for our country ... it seems we should have no issue with the idea of a Muslim American being our nation's president. Khan died in Iraq and his mother is shown grieving over his headstone in Arlington Cemetery.

If there are aspiring Muslim Americans dreaming about being president ... they should note that it requires hard work. Barack Obama earned his opportunity for the presidency by doing well in school ... doing well in his marriage and as a father ... doing well in his chosen vocation.

Robert Kennedy thought it would take 40 years for a Black man to be president. I think it won't take a long for a woman to be president. Nor would I be surprised if Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) or some other Muslim American were to be a credible national candidate in my lifetime.

63 years in a row, from 1921 thru 1984, we had white women winning the crown as 'Miss America'. That changed in 1984 when we had two Black women holding that title -- Vanessa Williams and Suzette Charles.

The 'Vanessa Williams Effect' got busy at that point. We have had five more women of color crowned as Miss America -- Debbye Turner (1990), Marjorie Vincent (1991), Kimberly Aiken (1994), Angela Baraquio (2001) and Erika Harold (2003).

Perhaps the 'Vanessa Williams Effect' will trump the 'Bradley Effect' as other non-white males strive to become President of the United States.

If so, a small amount of the credit goes to Colin Powell and Kareem Khan.

Obama Effect: Artur Davis Seeks to be First Black Alabama Governor

Villagers, we have talked in the past about social phenomenoms such as the Bradley Effect and the Vanessa Williams Effect.

Consider this your formal introduction to the Obama Effect!

The Obama Effect is what we will call the coming deluge of African American candidates that will run AND WIN political races for governors and senators and future presidents.

Case in point: Rep. Artur Davis (D-Al). Davis, an early supporter of Barack Obama with uncanny similarities to the new president, announced his Democratic candidacy for governor Friday in a bid to become the first Black to win Alabama's top office.

Davis, a Harvard-educated lawyer in his 40s like Obama, ended months of speculation with his announcement, attended by a crowd of at least 100 people, made up largely of whites. That voting bloc will be crucial for Davis to win in 2010.

"Yes, this will be hard, but if we find our way, we can build a state like we have never known, not at some distant point called one day, but right now, in our season," said Davis, 41, who chaired Obama's campaign in Alabama.

Davis said his campaign will focus on the economy, not race.

"One of the things I have learned about race is if you talk about race, if you fixate on race, other people will join you in fixating on it," Davis said. "If you don't fixate on race, all the other issues that people want to hear about will come to the forefront."

What do you think of this idea of the 'Obama Effect'? Also, do you have any insights on Rep. Artur Davis and his hopes to become Alabama's first Black governor?