Right after turning water into wine at the next reception he attends, Senator Obama will get right on eliminating 250 years or more of racial disparities. It is absurd for these Times reporters to subtly imply that somehow the Obama candidacy should have eliminated differing opinions on race by now. Consider that John F. Kennedy did not, merely by running for President, miraculously heal the many decades of suspicion and prejudice faced by Catholics. In fact, in the short term, his presidential run actually increased negative views of Catholics. And yet, he won.

The more interesting part of the poll is the seemingly contradictory finding that, “Black and white Americans agree that America is ready to elect a black president, but disagree on almost every other question about race in the poll.” Americans are in a very transitional moment. The apparent contradiction is the most illuminating finding. It tells us that Americans want something else, even as they are clear that the very things that divide the nation have not magically disappeared in a mere 18 months.

Kennedy didn’t win because he was or was not Catholic. He won because he was an energetic, charismatic young leader who positioned himself as the candidate of the future. That fact ultimately became more important than his religion. Views of Catholics mostly changed after his election, not before.

Race is a factor in this election, beyond a doubt. But to reduce the race to race is to underestimate the transitional nature of the times. The last eight years have been a catastrophe for the United States both at home and abroad. The majority of Americans believe that Senator McCain is linked to the policies of President Bush, both on the war and the economy. He cannot escape it. Senator Obama will remain the son of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Kenya, the very embodiment of his core message of change, a message the majority of Americans have internalized whether they agree with it or not. He cannot escape that either.

So, the really interesting question is will the need for change be stronger than the attitudes of the past, or will the past trump the future? These kinds of polls tell us nothing about whether there is a political miracle in the making or not. Only the American people can finally tell us that.