First Read: "In Obama's first year and a half as president, there haven't been any sex scandals, any stories of widespread corruption, or any plans to wage war against a nation without WMD. But what does it say -- about the media, about Obama, and about us as a country -- that when the topic turns to race, Washington instantly transforms into a three-ring circus? As for the media, we've allowed this story over race bury one of the more consequential weeks of Obama's presidency thus far (the financial reform legislation becoming law, Senate passage of the jobless benefits, and Kagan clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee). Whether it's Sherrod, Gates, or Jeremiah Wright, the topic of race pushes the media's buttons like no other issue."