In today's news cycle, after Obama speaks to the nation, there might be three black men off the radar. 

I noticed this weekend that three black men were making headlines, all very different in social standing and occupation, but all seemed to have stepped in it.

One was Tiger Woods.  He got into an accident and stepped into a pile of rumors.  Today, news report that the Florida Dade County police have closed the investigation.  The only lingering issue is that Dade is selling evidence for the case for reporters--or perhaps also for keepsakes for the general public.

The next was Maurice Clemmons.  He shot 4 police officers and stepped into a police chase.  Today, news report that Clemmons was killed after seeming to resist arrest.  The only lingering issue is that police officers are patting themselves on the back for a quick catch--and swift justice--without bothersome trials.

The final black man in the spotlight was Barack Obama.  You might say he doesn't count because he is always in the news.  But this week he stepped into a pile of anti-war sentiment.  Today, news report that Obama will announce the plan to put more troops in Afghanistan.  The only lingering issue is how much the Republicans will celebrate Obama looking like Bush.

This trio of black men in the news, a sort of news cycle holy trinity for the past few days, represents newfound diversity.  The news shows black men doing more than just acting like criminals, it shows black men acting criminally in different ways.  The court, in this case, is public appeal, and justice was served up loudly and clearly.

In this spirit of affirmative action, we can only hope for a black couple party-crashing the White House.  But wait, hasn't that already happened?