2008 saw an African-American run as the Democratic candidate and win the presidency of the US, for the first time in history. But the US also witnessed a remarkable silence - one that was scarcely coincidental. In all the millions of words written about the political ascent of one black man, there was virtually nothing about the descent of black leadership into well-nigh total ineffectiveness. Barack Obama’s personal itinerary was mapped in the minutest detail. The larger itinerary of African-Americans was mostly ignored.