This video was shot at Sarah Palin's book-signing in Columbus, Ohio, last weekend. Her adoring fans had great trouble saying what she stood for. I'm sure the video was shot with a particular agenda, so you need to take it with a grain of salt. The people who made it through the editing process are clearly just Palin groupies. I'm sure some thoughtful people also bought her book.

(If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll need to click on "View Original Post" to see the video.)

A similar video could be made at Obama events. With one big exception....

I was looking, but didn't see anyone of color or ethnicity in the video. All reports about these signings are pretty similar in that regard. She clearly stirs up strong emotions among white people. What should we make of that? To me, it's worth exploring.

In America, we need to be on guard concerning racial issues. We've come a long way, but too many racial tensions lie dormant, awaiting a match. A populist like Palin (or Buchanan, or Beck, or lots of others) can easily stir up those tensions, whether intentionally or not. Now, just because the crowds around Palin are predominantly white doesn't mean she condones racism in some way. That's not a valid leap. But the situation is something worth monitoring.

Look, I'm not out to bash Sarah Palin, so don't go ballistic and label me a liberal dirt-monger. Palin's a good, charismatic, engaging person. But when I see masses of white people flocking around someone, with hardly anyone of ethnicity in the picture--well, that gives me pause.