The Torment of Barack Obama! Under slavery, 'Nigger breakers' had the job of destroying the spirits of tough black men by whatever means necessary. At age 15 Frederick Douglass was sold to Edward Covey who had the mandate to break him. Ishmael Reed makes the case that President Barack Obama is being assailed by 20th century descendants of Covey. In a series of essays written during the 2008 primaries and after Obama's election, he shows how both Obama's opponents and some supposed allies use modern reincarnations of those same ugly demons to break him. What's more, statements and alliances he made during the campaign and in office have made him easy prey.