海角大神

When President Obama responded over the weekend to ugly racial comments 鈥� allegedly by Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team 鈥� he was in a familiar mode: reacting to a racially charged news event.聽

American presidents have often found themselves in this spot. Race is a never-ending source of friction, debate, and at times discovery. But for Mr. Obama, it鈥檚 freighted with extra meaning. He is responding not only as president, but as the nation鈥檚 first black president.聽

鈥淗e鈥檚 always in this position,鈥� says Julian Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University. 鈥淒oes he have some special obligation to tackle the issue of race? Is it better politically for him to stay out? Is it something he shouldn鈥檛 be obligated to deal with, just because he鈥檚 a black president?鈥�

In this most recent case, Obama didn鈥檛 speak out unbidden. He responded to a question during a press conference Sunday in Malaysia. The day before, the gossip site TMZ had posted a recording purportedly of the Clippers owner telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to his team鈥檚 games. The identities of those speaking on the tape still have not been confirmed. Obama referred to comments 鈥渢he owner is reported鈥� to have made. But he didn鈥檛 hold back on what was said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I have to interpret those statements for you; they kind of speak for themselves,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淲hen ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance you don鈥檛 really have to do anything, you just let them talk.鈥�

The president also sought to put the incident in a larger context, noting that while the United States continues to wrestle with a legacy of slavery and segregation, it is evolving in a positive direction.

鈥淲e鈥檝e made enormous strides, but you鈥檙e going to continue to see this percolate up every so often,鈥� Obama said. 鈥淎nd I think that we just have to be clear and steady in denouncing it, teaching our children differently, but also remaining hopeful that part of why some statements like this stand out so much is because there has been this shift in how we view ourselves.鈥�

For Obama, this latest episode is more than a teachable moment, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a leadership moment,鈥� says Mr. Zelizer.

But every time racial matters rise to the top of public discourse 鈥� from Henry Louis Gates Jr. to Trayvon Martin to Cliven Bundy 鈥� there鈥檚 an additional dimension for Obama.

鈥淲ill he alienate white working-class and middle-class Democrats by talking too much about this?鈥� Zelizer says. 鈥淢aybe with a liberal white Democrat, it wouldn鈥檛 be as much of an issue.鈥�

In July 2009, Obama stepped into the middle of the Gates controversy when he responded to a reporter鈥檚 question. Obama said the police had acted 鈥渟tupidly鈥� when they arrested Mr. Gates, an African-American professor at Harvard University, as he tried to enter his own home.

In 2012, the racially charged killing of Trayvon Martin also spurred comments from Obama, who said the black Florida teen could have been his son. Later, Obama said Martin 鈥渃ould have been me.鈥�

During the recent flap over Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy 鈥� initially famous for refusing to pay federal grazing fees and then for making racist comments about blacks and slavery 鈥� Obama has remained silent.

On policy matters, Obama also picks his spots. After the US Supreme Court鈥檚 recent ruling on affirmative action, in which the court upheld a Michigan referendum banning the practice in admissions to public universities, the White House press secretary issued a nuanced reaction. Obama himself said nothing. 聽

But the president has been vocal on voting rights, such as last June, when the Supreme Court invalidated a key part of the Voting Rights Act. He and his attorney general have also spoken out on voter ID laws, saying they pose an undue hardship on minority voters.

In February, Obama unveiled 鈥淢y Brother鈥檚 Keeper,鈥� an initiative that pulls together foundation and corporate money to help young men of color avoid the 鈥渟chool to prison pipeline.鈥�

From one perspective, the effort reflected a growing boldness by the president in tackling minority issues. But some African-American scholars dismissed it as ineffectual because it did not involve an infusion of federal resources. 聽聽

Lester Spence, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, is one such scholar. He describes Obama as having a 鈥渧oice in his head鈥� that tells him to avoid discussing race, and decries what he sees as a lack of boldness by Obama.

鈥淚f he had listened to that voice in 2007, he never would have run in the first place,鈥� says Mr. Spence. 鈥淪o the whole critique that he鈥檚 walking a tightrope is self-serving to the president, and it blatantly ignores the role of history and creative endeavor in political struggle.鈥�

After the alleged Sterling comments burst into the public arena, Spence wrote a on the matter. Obama does not merit a mention. Spence says he doesn鈥檛 necessarily see Obama as having a role in the issue.

But Obama was asked what he thought, and he responded.

鈥淪o he said something, but what does that something mean, given what happened?鈥� Spence says. 鈥淲ould I have expected Obama to say something transformative? The answer is no.鈥�