I'm linking to an article on BlackAmericaWeb on the possible need for "New Black Leadership" by _{Armstrong Williams}. I'm entering it now:

Is it Time for New Black Leadership? A View from the Right Date: Monday, February 23, 2004 Author: Armstrong Williams

Is it time for new black leadership? Well, let's look at what we've got.

This election season has seen two black Americans toss their hats in the ring: Rev. Al Sharpton and former Senator Carole Mosley Braun.

Sharpton is an insular, Northeastern, New York-style politician with a controversial history and a track record of voting Republican (He's endorsed Republicans for most of his career).

Braun offers the historical legacy of having become the first black female U.S. Senator. That alone is quite a feat. Just one thing: In her six years in the senate, Braun essentially failed to produce any worthwhile legislation, and lost her last election bid after allegations surfaced that she misappropriated campaign donations and took an ill-advised personal trip to Nigeria. Prior to dropping out of the race, Braun 's only significant policy announcement was a call for universal healthcare.

Together, these racial prophets, these torch lights in the darkness, managed to raise little money and produced no coherent plan to help the American people.

When young children see Sharpton on television and ask their parents how they can be a part of the campaign, they find out quickly that there is no mechanism for them to help, because there is no real campaign. The election bid is a farce. It's not about making America better (where's the plan to do that?), it's about self-aggrandizement.

Which leads to the inevitable question: is this the best the blacks in the Democratic Party have to offer? If so, then plainly new blood is needed, as evidenced not only by the poor quality of our current leadership, but by generational shifts in black public opinion.

…because the View From The Left counterpoint is by Ray Winbush, and I wanted you to see that first.