By John D. Thomas

Rev. Al Sharpton is running for president of the United States.

No rim shot. No laugh track. No punch line.

But as the Democratic presidential primaries approach, one thing separates Sharpton from the other candidates -- his run is still treated as a joke by the media. Sharpton is counting on the fact that a solid showing in the February 4 South Carolina primary, where he hopes to garner most of the large black vote while the others split the white count, will slap some sense into the press corps. And if he's right, many people will be laughing out of the wrong side of their mouths in Boston next July at the Democratic National Convention.

Sharpton's run for the Black House is essentially a power ploy straight out of the Jesse Jackson presidential playbook. As the New York Observer recently reported, "Rather than win, his goal is more likely to do what Jesse Jackson did in 1988: to use a losing campaign to position himself as one of the most influential Democrats in America." And if people think Sharpton lacks Jackson's gravitas, then they forget that Jackson's campaign bus once broke down in "Hymietown."

Who is Al Sharpton? He has been described in the press as a "Brooklyn preacher-activist," but most people know him through his appearances during divisive public controversies. Those events have ranged from the ridiculous -- the bizarre Tawana Brawley fiasco; to the righteous -- his recent arrest after protesting American test bombing in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

We recently visited with Sharpton in his New York City office to give him the opportunity to get serious about his candidacy. During our lengthy chat, he commented on everything from the desperate state of the Democratic Party to the much-needed soul his wife would bring to the role of First Lady.