Will Obama's race speech backfire?

I've been thinking more and more about the excellent speech that Barack Obama gave here in Philly on Tuesday.

He dragged the race issue out into the open, and that needed to be done. He did so eloquently and reasonably. This was a good way to handle the pastor problem.

That said, I'm wondering if it could backfire.

Ironic as it might seem, will Obama's new focus on racial issues remind the less open-minded voters that he is half-black?

Could this ultimately cause another setback, on top of the related pastor issue (which itself was mostly just a case of projected guilt-by-association, blown out of proportion by the media)?

Time will tell, but I'm afraid it could indeed happen, if a new Reuters/Zogby poll released yesterday is any indication.

According to Reuters, "Democrat Barack Obama's big national lead over Hillary Clinton has all but evaporated in the U.S. presidential race, and both Democrats trail Republican John McCain, according a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday."

The survey was likely completed before Obama's Tuesday speech, and it probably reflects some fallout from the pastor scandal. Where it goes from here, time will tell. But I'm getting nervous.

This is all very disturbing. This is supposed to be the 21st century. Why is race still an issue?