It's time for the press to stop bringing up Barack Obama's race whenever his name is mentioned. It's only been one day, and it's already getting tiring. For one thing, Obama is bi-racial. His mother was white and his father was African American.
But that doesn't matter. What matters is whether or not he is the right person for the job. I don't give a rats ass if he's green, pink, tan, black, or bluish purple. Yes, it is a big deal to be the first obviously bi-racial president - I'm not denying that (reportedly, there have been others, but they were "mostly white").
In any event, the leadup to this election has been in the works for a long time. At one point, in some city, we must have had the first black mayor. And I'm sure that was big news at the time. I'm not sure who/when/where it was - but no one bats an eye anymore when a black man (or woman, or Chinese, or Indian) is elected as mayor, governor, congressman, or senator. Also, lets not forget that a black woman, Condoleezza Rice, is currently fourth in line for the presidency (if the President, Vice President, and the Speaker of the House all go down in a plane at the same time) ... in a republican administration!
There's one other factor that I really think also had a hand in making it possible for the country to accept a minority president - the TV show "24". This is an extremely popular show, with a black president for a few seasons (David Palmer, played by Dennis Haysbert). The character was portrayed as a very good president - strong and intelligent, politically savvy, with exceedingly impeccable ethics. He was very believable and very likeable, and I think he portrayed an image that viewers of the show easily accepted as what they'd like to see in a president. Granted, Obama was elected on his own strengths - but maybe a portion of the population was warmed up to the possibility, even if it was sub-consciously, by the David Palmer character on 24.