Obama does not dare joke about race now — too sensitive. That wasn’t always

the case. As a Senate candidate, he was once playing hooky from meeting with donors when a white aide named Peter Coffey finally tracked him down at the barbershop. A few hours later, the candidate returned to the office. “The relationship between a black man and his barber is sacred,” Obama mock-bellowed at Coffey. “They are closer than man and wife. For failing to understand this truth, your punishment is to watch the movie Barbershop. And for further punishment, you will then watch the sequel, Barbershop 2.”