Some have said that by putting himself in one box instead of two, Obama is simply exhibiting pride in being African American. I can appreciate that. But there is an important consequence when our president does not acknowledge half of his heritage, or, more basically, the mother and grandparents who raised him, or even his commonality with his sister, who is also biracial, though with a different mix. If the most powerful person in this country says that because society thinks he looks black, he is black, it sends a message that biracial children have to identify with the side they most resemble. That might be a problem for my daughters, who consider themselves Jewish, Chinese and, because it's the Chang family's home state, Hawaiian, yet are most often mistaken for Latinas. They usually shrug off that misperception, and I am glad. After all, if we let society determine what we are, we will never change society.

What, so she says his choice was legitimate but is upset that he doesn't feel as divided as she does?

If what he did was choose what he feels, how can she be clear that he isn't auto-defining his "race"? To answer that, she'd have to examine why her daughters feel the way they do about their "race(s)".

Frankly, it's pointelss meandering articles like this that will obviate race as a concern from society.

The writer is an editor of The Post's Sunday Magazine.

Oh ok then, not used to writing about more than curtains or celebs...