A LOCAL LESSON IN RAPID DESCENT

Adrian Fenty, the black mayor of Washington, took every precinct when he was elected three years ago. He had certain similarities to Barack Obama - well educated, young, attractive and a voice for change.

After his election, however, a combination of tin ear, chrome plated ego, indifference to ordinary citizens and loyalty to special interests has dramatically changed things. According to Washington City Paper:

"A poll of 501 registered voters finds that D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray leads Fenty, 41 to 37 percent, in the first publicly released head-to-head polling. Asked whether they approve or disapprove of Fenty, poll respondents were negative on Fenty, 49 percent to 43."

More striking was that the poll found that "Fifty-one percent of all white voters polled said they would like to see Fenty re-elected but only 22 percent of all African American voters polled would - a 29–point difference."

Unlike Obama, however, Fenty's leading alternative is also black. Still the poll does show that even ethnic loyalty can vanish when it's not reciprocated by the office holder.