I guess that's why, in addition to being generally thrilled for Michelle Obama, I'm so happy that the self-proclaimed "mom in chief" is getting closer to the peace of mind that comes with finding the right school for her children. Most parents struggle with where to send their kids to school. But the decision can be especially agonizing for upwardly mobile black parents.

Now, some commentators, most notably Tina Brown of The Daily Beast, seem to believe we've elected a magical Negro Spirit Guide as president. "This has been an election full of magic. White Magic that only the black man from everywhere and nowhere could perform," Brown declared after Obama's win. President-elect Barack Obama's biracial birth, fatherless childhood outside the contiguous United States and meteoric rise is indeed the stuff of mythology.

But there is something dizzying about the heights of Obama's other-worldly pedestal. And—if he continues to follow another narrative arc laid out in popular culture—the depths to which he will inevitably fall. Will this character rescue the world in the end? Or will he become consumed by an unseen, dark inner soul?

Obama's unique background helped him break through shackles most of us didn't even realize we wore.

Black voters at the helm of the nation's solid leftward turn.

How black voters raged against the machine and took charge.

The people have spoken, but that's not enough.

Daring or disastrous?

Couldn't have done it without you.

A midseason NFC review.

Our 44th president can change many things in the next four years--his hair isn't one of them. The high-top fade worked for Kid, and we love Charles Barkley's shiny chrome dome. We even have a soft spot for James Brown's process. But sadly, none of these beloved styles can make the cut in the White House.