I meant that his primary support system when he was growing up -- his mother and his maternal grandparents -- were white. That's not a judgment, just a fact.

No, I'm not suggesting that African-Americans bring up their children differently. But where people grow up and what kinds of formative experiences they have do matter. Obama didn't grow up in the same environment that most African-Americans do. I'm not saying his life was easier because of that -- I'm sure he had his own distinct challenges. But it was, undeniably, different.

My larger point is that suggesting that a mixed race child is equally accepted and embraced by both groups grossly oversimplifies the racial divides that still exist in this country. That's the point I was, rather clumsily it seems, trying to make.