Could it be that President Obama was afraid of how the photos might look to Middle America if they had shown a white man outnumbered by black men–and elite black men at that? Given that the meeting was over in the blink of an eye, it was little better than theater. But theater is vital in politics, and Biden’s presence turned the play into something altogether more reassuring. The white man was not outnumbered by the black.

Why is this important? I venture that in Obama’s careful calibration of his post-racial America there is always a fear of white fear. He is exquisitely sensitive to white– particularly non-elite white–impressions of his occupancy of the White House. He is eager not to disconcert Middle America, and had blundered only days before in his intervention in the Gates-Crowley affair. This ruffled many whites: They were taken aback, disquieted and were reminded, perhaps, of Obama’s remarks about bitter and intolerant small-town voters who cling to their faith and guns, made before the Pennsylvania primary.