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McClatchy Washington Bureau | 07/24/2008 | Obama sparks debate: Would Europe elect a black leader?: “Obama’s current tour — he landed in Berlin Thursday and was travelling to Paris and London — has provoked an intense debate among members of Western Europe’s racial and ethnic minorities: What are the chances of a minority politician rising to the top in their countries any time soon?”

This part was also of particular interest: ‘I think because of Obama a lot of people feel it’s more possible now here because they didn’t expect it in America,’ said Zachary Miller, a black man who hails from Ohio, lives in Paris and is vice chairman of Democrats Abroad in France and an Obama supporter.

Europe, despite its relatively liberal reputation, clearly has issues with race and ethnicity that it needs to address. Those issues are some of what prevents their recent immigrants from integrating with society, and must be addressed if Europe hopes to prevent violent extremists from finding a base of operations among a welcoming underclass.