New York Times WTF

So I'm no linguistic or racial sensitivity expert but the following sentence from the New York Times today rubbed me the wrong way:

"Even stalwart Republicans acknowledge that items related to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, may become especially valuable if he is elected because he would be the first black in the office."

THE FIRST BLACK IN THE OFFICE?!

The article, if you're wondering, is about political campaign merch collectors. They're a bit like stamp collectors only slightly more sad and a whole lot more scarce.