Why is the press hung up on color?

The press universally refers to Barak Obama as the black candidate even though he has a black African father and a white Caucasian mother. Then the press asks a question that apparently only occurs to let. "Will white people vote for a black candidate?" Well the answer should be obvious. In the same story the reporter marvels at the way whites cheer and rave over Obama (in contrast to blacks who are much more reserved). Unable to figure this out, the reporter decides that whites love Obama because he makes them feel "less white." Maybe they love him because they don't see him as white or black (in contrast to the press) but simply as a candidate, and a very appealing and articulate one.