President Obama's skin color should never be the issue

When it comes to those American whites who are uncomfortable with a black president, there has been no shortage of racial distortion either. Some have tried to use Obama's skin color and Muslim name to prey upon the fears of a white electorate that has seen its economic prosperity plummet amid an overall decline in America's global influence. Others have even gone so far as to question his citizenship and his birthright. Still others have deliberately misconstrued his political philosophy in a racially tinged manner — asserting that he's an African anti-colonial revolutionary.

While it is fine to disagree with the president's policies, to suggest that his political failures have to do with his race is just plain wrong. The sentiment of disdain voiced by some dissenters about the "young black president" ignores the fact that it took a majority of white voters — including disillusioned supporters of the previous administration — to elect him. The broader community should let Obama rise and fall on his own merits, and not make this a litmus test about the fitness of a certain race to lead the country.

---