The article makes at least two good points.
First, since Obama was raised largely in white households, his success is not quite such a beacon of hope for black people as it is proclaimed to be. Indeed, the most practical lesson is that blacks are more likely to succeed if they can "escape from" their own subculture and adopt the speech, manner and attitude of whites.
Second, the fact that people with one white and one black parent tend to be regarded (as black) suggests that "pure whiteness" is considered to confer membership of a privileged club, excluding non-whites, in a way that "pure blackness" does not.
The reality is that "pure whiteness" did indeed, until now, confer such membership as all 43 U.S. presidents have been considered "white". Calling Obama "black" may thus reflect a recognition of historical reality rather than a white supremacist attitude.
On some other points, your position seems contradictory. For example, you affirm that Obama's election proves that the U.S. is a land of equal opportunity, as envisaged by Martin Luther King. But you also affirm that "racist attitudes still prevail" in the U.S.
It is hard to see how the U.S. can be a land of equal opportunity for racial minorities if the prevailing attitudes of the majority are racially prejudiced against them.
So which affirmation is supported by the evidence? Clearly, the success of Obama does suggest that blacks enjoy more opportunities for political participation than, say, 150 years ago, or even 40 years ago.
But one becoming commander-in-chief cannot prove that black people generally enjoy equal opportunities across the full spectrum of education, employment and social facilities. The dice may well be loaded against them. So do racist attitudes still prevail? Let's look at the election results.
In most states there was little change in voting preferences from 2004. As far as we can tell, most people who voted for Kerry in 2004 voted for Obama in 2008 and most people who voted for Bush in 2004 voted for McCain in 2008.
It seems likely that the overriding factor determining these people's votes was a feeling of affinity for the values and platform of the Democratic or Republican Parties respectively. Racial sentiment may have been a factor in their considerations, but not a decisive one.
Some voters obviously switched from Bush in 2004 to Obama in 2008, but were they motivated by racial sentiments? At present Bush himself is unpopular and American economic and foreign policy is in a shambles.
JOHN HARGREAVES
Jakarta
As for Obama's identity, I think that is up to him to decide how he views himself and not the media. For example, when Michelle Obama was asked on 60 Minutes whether her husband's candidacy made her afraid for his life, she replied, "As a black man, Barack can get shot going to the gas station." Do we need to correct her and tell her she needs to refer to him as bi-racial? I believe his "blackness" is a potent symbol for change in and of itself.
No one, including myself, could believe that he could make it all the way. I was terrified that there was some Dick Cheney/Karl Rove operation going on in the background to steal the election. Until that moment that President-elect Obama and his beautiful family walked out on stage for his acceptance speech I had lost all hope in the American people ever evolving.
You mentioned that only 43 percent of white people voted for Obama. According to the NYT exit polls, age, religion and size of place had a big impact on how people voted overall across races.
So from this data we can pretty much get the idea that Old WASPs and Rednecks did not vote for Obama (what a surprise!) and that there are a lot of them in the U.S.
On the other hand, young people seem to be trying to paint a new picture of America, one where hope and tolerance are replacing fear and intolerance.
If viewing Obama as a black man can inspire American youth to make this world a better place, I do not see the problem. If everyone wants to replace the word black with bi-racial tomorrow, great, I am all for it.
PAUL WETZEL
Los Angeles
