Race an Issue in the Election?

An interesting talk one of my professors had.  He said that back in the early 90's where he was living there was an election for governor.  The Republican was white and the Democrat was black.  Before election day the polls had the Democrat ahead 60-40.  On the day of election they interviewed people and asked who they voted for and found out that the Democrat, according to those polled, won about 60-40.  At the end of the day the Democratic candidate ended up winning but only by about 51-49 or 52-48.  Come to find out that many people lied about who they voted for because he was of a different color.  My professor's deduction from this is that Obama needs a big lead going onto election day because he believes many people will do the same they did back then.  My deduction?  I personally think that no issue of race is gonna stop the Democrats.  I think that so many Americans are fed up with the Conservative Republican president that they would vote for a cow over another Republican.  That's just what I think though.  I think that it could be very possible that people will not vote for Obama strictly because of his skin color.  Who knows maybe they won't vote for him because of his name.  Barak Hussein Obama?  Can you imagine what people would have said on September 12, 2001 if we had told them that their next president would be a man named Barak Hussein Obama?  Amazing how history shapes things.