It's apparently taboo now to describe any African-American as "articulate."

Though it was little noted, on Wednesday President Bush on the Fox News Channel also described Mr. Obama as “articulate.” On any given day, in any number of settings, it is likely to be one of the first things white people warmly remark about Oprah Winfrey; Richard Parsons, chief executive of Time Warner; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Deval Patrick, the newly elected governor of Massachusetts; or a recently promoted black colleague at work.

A series of conversations about the word with a number of black public figures last week elicited the kind of frustrated responses often uttered between blacks, but seldom shared with whites.

“You hear it and you just think, ‘Damn, this again?’ ” said Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of humanities at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anna Perez, the former communications counselor for Ms. Rice when she was national security adviser, said, “You just stand and wonder, ‘When will this foolishness end?’ ”

Said Reginald Hudlin, president of entertainment for Black Entertainment Television: “It makes me weary, literally tired, like, ‘Do I really want to spend my time right now educating this person?’ ”

Give me a break. Seriously.

Let's see if we can use the same victimhood logic in a different context.

Do Americans of pallor now have a right to be offended when a white basketball player is described as "talented?" Does Steve Nash have a legitimate beef?

How about Tiger Woods? Is all of the praise heaped upon him tainted because he's black? Do these professional victims really believe that he's being condescended to when his dominance of golf is rightly praised?

On the other hand, (I feel like an economist when I write that) if anyone is to blame for this public perception, it just might be the purveyors of "black culture."

“Go into any inner-city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white.”

Of course, the guy that said that might be wrong. He might be feeding this perception that the educated, articulate black is an exception, not the rule. Or the professional victims might need to get a grip.

Oh, and the guy who said that quote, you might no know him, he's Barack Obama.