Barack Obama has not only made history by winning  nomination as an Afro-American candidate of the Democratic Party for American presidency. He has made an indelible mark in American history.

For a political commentator far removed from America and visited it only once, despite keeping intensive contact with political developments there, it is hard for us to gauge how this virtually unknown black American senator was able to triumph over Hillary Clinton - one of the household names in American politics.

Barack Obama would have been a household name only in his home a few years ago. But yet he did it. For those of my generation in Sri Lanka who read about racism in America in the '50s and '60s where blacks were segregated as they had always been - separate schools for blacks, only back seats in buses and treated as third class citizens everywhere - a black man beating the wife of one of the most popular president's ever in the country for presidential nomination - both husband and wife having been friends and supporters of the black community - and most surprising of all with the active backing of the whites, is a sort of fairy tale.

Multi-racial soup

When I was on a travel grant of the State Department in 1985, those who conducted the tour of our group described American society as a 'multi-cultural soup' - multi-racial and multi-religious. Most of us who were from Third World countries were sceptical. A Ugandan political professor who was in the group cracked: 'Sure, it may have many ingredients but it is an all white soup.'

The American government at this time was trying hard to shed the former racist image of America. But despite the presence of black officials in the middle rungs at that time it appeared to be an all white show.

Apparently perceptions of many Americans have changed very much since 1985, particularly among the educated and liberal Democrats. But race prejudice no doubt still exists. Two weeks ago on a CNN interview of a cross-section of voters, an aging American lady was asked whether she voted for Obama. 'No,' she snapped, 'He is of another race.' Racist? But which country is entirely devoid of racism?

American legend

When I saw Barack Obama's grandmother's home in a remote Kenyan village on TV it reminded me of the American saying about US presidents: From log cabin to White House. Indeed Obama has still a long way to reach the White House. He may not get there. But his is indeed a legendary story already for any modern American.

The man effuses charisma. His stature and he way he carries himself makes him the walking image of a US president which Hollywood films portray. His victory speech and his address to the Jewish American lobby which I saw on CNN showed him as a brilliant orator who can hold his audience spellbound.

It is a magical flow of words. Cogent, devoid of harsh rhetoric or jibes, except an occasional thrust at John McCain, his Republican rival. Despite the occasional sniping at Hillary Clinton during the primaries he has been extremely complimentary to her, particularly after he secured nomination.

White House

The big question now is: Can Obama make it to the White House? The Democratic Party has chosen him but will the rest of the country back him? The Democratic primaries showed that the blue collar white workers not only rejected him and voted for Hillary Clinton  but some even openly declared that even though they were for the Democrats they would not vote for Obama.

There are rumours spread that Obama is a Muslim because his father was a Muslim although a non practising one. There are attempts to show that he had been educated in a Muslim theological school that indoctrinates young people into Islamic extremism.  Obama withstood all those charges. There were problems in his own Christian Church where his pastor turned against him.

Obama also has a tough conservative Republican John McCain as opponent - a war hero who spent five years as a prisoner in a Vietnamese Camp. He is described as a maverick Republican who rejects many Republican policies but supports President Bush in his war in Iraq and is against a hasty pullout of troops.

If necessary, American troops can be in Iraq for a 100 years he has declared and points out that President's Bush's strategy of a 'surge' of troops in Iraq is now working and has reduced incidents of violence there drastically.

Whether the traditional American voter will consider national security as a primary issue and back him as they did George Bush against John Kerry - a more liberal candidate, could be a deciding factor.

Obama favours a much more liberal foreign policy than the Republicans and has opted for diplomacy instead of military intervention. But Obama's problem is that since he is suspect of  being soft, particularly on the Middle East he has to  be more conservative  than even the conservatives to prove his credentials.

His address to the American Jewish lobby in Washington the day after his victory was brilliant but would be a disappointment to the Arabs and the Palestinians when he pledged firm support for Israel as Mc Cain would do and even went to the extent of expressing his support for an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel about which Palestinians have already expressed disappointment.