By LaToya Irby

I was initially surprised to hear that Colin Powell endorsed Barack Obama. I thought I’d previously read he would be supporting McCain. That might have been the case, but this was pre-Palin. That could have changed Powell’s mind.

I was watching CNN last night and a couple of commentators were asserting that Colin Powell endorsed Obama simply because they’re both black men. I wondered why would that matter, especially if Powell had previously hinted he wouldn’t be backing Obama.

Race has been somewhat of a pink elephant during this campaign season, but it’s no secret that some people are voting for and voting against Barack Obama based solely on his skin color. Voting for or against a candidate because of their skin color is an ignorant way to decide your president.

Back in 2007, Time.com published an article “Is Obama Black Enough?” That question should never have been asked. The tint of his skin has nothing to do with how he will perform in the White House. Racial stereotypes that should have been debunked a long time ago remain prevalent and it’s sickening.

Even Obama’s own running mate had something to say about skin color. Time.com quotes Joe Biden as calling Obama the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” He’s not the first, but why does that matter?

I don’t blame the media. I blame the people. The media only publicizes the things people say in private. And, after all, the media is the people.

Will I be accused of playing the race card for writing this post? Maybe. If it wasn’t in the deck, I wouldn’t be able to play it, now would I?

This week's previous posts (most recent first): Divided We Stand, Socialism Rules, The Politics of Destruction