On Friday morning, I came to the computer before I went to a meeting to see if there was any interesting news that happened while I was asleep. I was probably as shocked as everyone else was when I saw the news headline that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize.

My initial reaction was "why." Then I thought about it and I knew why. After the last 6 years of people hating America and hating former President Bush all around the world, seeing America as warmongering, and thinking that the United States was getting into everyone else's business, the people saw President Obama as someone who had eased a lot of world tension, actually got bigger crowds in other countries than he sometimes got here, and actually began the process of opening up dialogues with people and countries who really didn't want to deal with us for a long time. Sure, there's still Iraq and Afghanistan, but he didn't create either of those, and at least one of them is on its way out. Compared to what anyone else did or didn't do in the previous year, there really was no other choice than him if they were going to give it out anyway.

Of course I went to my meeting, the topic came up, and most of the other people in the room didn't see it the same way. And once again, just like with health care, and with the stimulus package, and with a host of other things, I found myself explaining things on his behalf, as if he were my little brother and I had to protect him from all these bullies, of which there seem to be many.

It's made me think about why I feel so protective about President Obama. After all, last year in July, he wasn't even the candidate I was pulling for. I was, and am, a bit Hillary Clinton fan. It never occurred to me at the time that she would even be challenged by Obama, let alone that she wouldn't be the candidate. But Representative John Lewis, who switched his support from Clinton to Obama in midstream, accurately clarified the point: it's hard to beat a movement.

And it's not like I've been the biggest supporter of the attempt to create a health care bill, not because I don't believe there needs to be more protection for people who don't have health care coverage but because I keep thinking we have bigger and more severe financial issues to deal with rather than potentially spending more money and having to raise taxes to pay for this. Sure, once it's in place it's something else off people's minds, but many people will immediately need some health care, if only psychiatric care, if they can't find jobs so they can pay for their living expenses, including feeding their family.

So, why do I feel so protective of President Obama? I'm not going to lie; it's because he's black. I didn't vote for him because he was black; I voted for him because I felt that, overall, more of his positions agreed with mine that with Senator McCain. But days before the election, when I viewed this Ohio video, I knew that things were about to change, and not for the better. Racism was going to be stronger and more vitriolic, and I wasn't happy about it one bit. There was even this thing that irked me, as people, especially Fox News, seemed to keep trying to harp on this thing about his middle name, Hussein, as if it would be the worst thing in the world for a Muslim to ever be elected president of this country. This kind of racism was blatant as anything, but these people just didn't see it.

And since he's been president, entitles like the New York Post have printed things that are blatantly racist, yet they say that it's only satire and that everyone else is wrong. People protesting health care, who still have no idea what the plan might even be, are walking around with placards of him dressed as a witch doctor with a bone through his nose, and have pictures of him with Hitler's mustache. The witch doctor thing is racist, and they don't even know it; the Hitler thing is just idiocy.

Former President Jimmy Carter stated that he believes some of the treatment President Obama is getting stems from racism; a host of others agree. Obama has tried to play it down, and he has to. I don't have to, and I'll state my case here. There are ways for people to show disapproval for some of the things he's promoted or said. I think I've done it myself, especially as it pertains to this health care thing. I've done it in context of what he says, not attacking him personally.

I haven't liked what I've seen over the past few days as more people, especially the shameful Richard Steele, have piled on not only the President, but the people who voted for him in winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The same shameful display was given a week earlier when Chicago didn't get the 2016 Olympics after the president went to bat for the city. When did it become fair game to root against your own country for anything like this? I mean, for political reasons? Come on, we're supposed to be better than that.

Anyway, I gave my reasons why I'll be protective of the President, whether I always agree with him or not. I still remember the euphoria I felt the night he won, and the day he was inaugurated. Even that reason only is enough for me to feel proud that he's there, and to give him my support whenever possible.

It just doesn't mean I have to agree with everything..