Who is using race as an issue?

Peter Beinart at the WaPo is afraid this Presidential campaign is going to be about race. He is warning Obama that it shouldn't be. It has been brought up though. But by whom? Here is what Beinart had to say:

That's the lesson of recent weeks, when the McCain campaign brought up race (on the pretext that Obama had brought it up first). The Obama campaign tried desperately to change the subject but couldn't. Once the chum was in the water, the media sharks went wild.

On the pretext that Obama brought it up first? Excuse me? Obama did bring it up first.

At a fundraiser in June here is what Obama said, "They're going to try to make you afraid of me: 'He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. ... Oh, and did I mention he's black?'"

If bringing up the subject that "they" (McCain and Republicans) are going to try to make you afraid of him by mentioning that he is black, isn't bring up race, I don't know what is. There is no "pretext" here. It is what it is. The only motive the McCain camp had was to defend itself.

And then again, late July, Obama again warned of the Republican's impending racial attack: "The only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me -- 'He doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills." Which Obama had to finally admit that he was referring to race among other things.

Obama admitted he was referring to race, why can't Peter Beinart?

Beibart continues:

Obama should take that as a warning. Race will be central to this campaign because McCain needs it to be.

Really? Because McCain isn't the one who has brought it up. Not once. Obama, on the other hand, seems to be using the race issue to scare liberals into thinking that Republicans will be using the race issue to scare everyone else.

Newsflash for Obama and liberal writers. Oama seems to be the only one using race right now and no one is scared.