There is a Bug for this. I voted for that bug when i first got my N900, but i guess it won't help. They consider it fixed, because the highlight solution mentioned above works.
In my opinion the "solution" is not really one, since you have to know that it is that way, as this thread shows. New users will most likely not notice that. The usability is bad.
But hey, were lucky that we CAN find out at all.