In recent interviews, some white Obama supporters said they had examined their motives and were comfortable with the fact that they were supporting the Democrat at least in part because he is black. All of them were careful to say that it was not the only reason and mentioned a number of Obama policy positions with which they agreed — his tax plan and his emphasis on a phased withdrawal from Iraq, for example. The candidate’s race, Arsenault said, is “an added bonus for a lot of people.”