Malcolm Gladwell on the Importance of Obama's Race

In a recent interview, author Malcolm Gladwell (whose new book "Outliers" observes the circumstances which allow some people to become "high-achievers") had this to say about the significance of Barack Obama's race as it regards his success in life:

"... it's not like it's ever been a hindrance, it doesn't seem."

This very well may be true. Obama has made it to the highest office in the land, and before that, he attended the most prestigious universities in the country. And clearly, the Jesse Jacksons of the world resented the fat that Obama hadn't paid his dues in the Civil Rights movement (this, of course is both because of his age and because his father was from another country), but it also struck me as a dangerous / politically incorrect point for a famed author to admit ...