A world in which black leaders are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their MLK rating

Jeff Sharlet wishes that Obama were less of a social-gospel liberal and more of an MLK-style liberationist.

Well, sure. But I think he gives the social gospel movement in its classic form too little credit. It wasn't just a baptism of standard liberal ideas, with their "cautious optimism." In fact, its optimism was pretty radical, and it was rooted in theological particulars: the postmillennial emphasis on the church's ability to build the kingdom of God on earth. (Obama sparked controversy some time ago when he made a particularly postmillennial-sounding statement.)

More importantly: I get that the fact that Obama's convention speech came on the anniversary of "I have a dream," and that the campaign dressed up the stage w/ Roman pillars to bring to mind the Lincoln Memorial, makes the comparison sort of inevitable. But still: Come on. Dr. King, of course, never ran for public office. More importantly, Obama isn't claiming to be the next King, and we've got to stop expecting him to be. It's both unrealistic and unfair. (If Sen. Clinton had won the nomination, we'd be spending our time wishing she were more like, say, Susan B. Anthony...)