( CNN ) -- When was the last time you heard someone say it 's important to hire a qualified white person for a job ? No , seriously , I really want you to think about that question . Whenever there is a discussion about diversity , inclusion or affirmative action , we always hear folks say , `` We do a great job of trying to find qualified minorities . '' That always tickles me , because when it comes to hiring whites , the assumption is that all are qualified , so there 's no need for the qualifier `` qualified . '' That was the first thing that came to mind when former New Hampshire Gov . John Sununu gave his opinion on `` Piers Morgan Tonight '' on Thursday regarding Gen. Colin Powell 's endorsement of President Barack Obama . Booker : Sununu 's comment was 'unfortunate ' `` Frankly , when you take a look at Colin Powell , you have to wonder whether that 's an endorsement based on issues or whether he 's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama , '' Sununu said . When Morgan asked him what that reason is , Sununu said , `` Well , I think when you have somebody of your own race that you 're proud of being president of the United States , I applaud Colin for standing with him . '' Oh , John , you 're such a charmer to say you applaud Colin Powell for being a righteous brother and supporting his brother from another mother . All I could do was laugh at how incredibly stupid and asinine Sununu 's remark was . But Sununu is n't alone . He 's like the many idiots who have e-mailed and tweeted me over the years , suggesting that comments perceived as favorable to Obama boil down to our skin color . Accomplishments ? Oh , no . Intellect ? Forget about it . It 's always a black thing . News : Obama and the white vote . See , I 'm not one of these black folks who are quick to deny that anyone voted for Obama because he 's black . Actor Samuel L. Jackson has made it clear that he backs Obama because he 's black , and he does n't give a damn what any white person thinks . But it really is Sam 's responsibility to tell us exactly why he supports the president . It 's not our job to automatically assume that skin color is the reason during this season . For instance , in 2004 , the Rev . Al Sharpton ran for president of the United States . Now , we know he 's black , but a ton of black folks did n't even think of supporting him during his run or send him a dime . I recall betting a black New York media executive a big steak dinner that Sharpton would not win the primary in South Carolina , where nearly half of the voters are black . He was adamant it would happen , citing the Rev . Jesse Jackson 's win there in 1988 . Sharpton did n't win . During that same primary , former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun also ran for the Democratic nomination . Her campaign was about as ineffectual as Sharpton 's , and few people , even black folks , backed her . Opinion : Why is n't Colin Powell a Democrat ? Amazing . Two black folks running for president -- one a prominent civil rights activist and the other a former U.S. senator -- and black America as a whole did n't even give their candidacies a thought . So if in Sununu 's mind a Powell endorsement comes down to race , how does he explain the many times a black candidate runs for office , and black support is n't guaranteed ? What about all of the years black folks voted for white candidates ? Was one whiter than the other ? Since Sununu thinks it 's about race , I need him to explain to me how Mitt Romney 's whiteness has been the deciding factor behind his being a major surrogate for the Romney campaign . Please tell us , John , why you think Romney is the Great White Hope who will take down Soul Brother No . 1 at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave . Turnabout is fair play , right ? If Powell is backing Obama because he 's black , I need all of Romney 's white supporters who are backing him because of the color of his skin to step forward . Please , do n't hold back . Powell is an American hero . He has served as national security adviser , head of the U.S. Army Forces Command , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , secretary of state . Opinion : Both parties have a huge race problem . As a distinguished military man who has worked for four U.S. presidents , he has witnessed up close and personal what it takes to be president of the United States and commander in chief . It is ridiculous to assume Powell would be so shallow as to think race is the only determinant for him . The suggestion is beneath him . So , why did Sununu say it ? Because it 's easy to dismiss an accomplished black man who just praised another accomplished black man . By boiling it down to race , it 's easy for others who think such a thing to say , `` Oh , that 's it ! '' Unfortunately , we see this type of thinking in America all of the time . I crack up when someone white e-mails me , saying I owe my job to affirmative action . Their bigotry and racial animus is obvious , and I e-mail them back saying , I 'm laughing at them . Why ? Because it must hurt more to have a black man they ca n't stand laugh at them . My accomplishments are clear and many . I owe no one an explanation for my success , and Powell owes Sununu and no one else an explanation other that what he said on CBS 's morning show , citing Romney 's confusing foreign policy views and Obama 's steady leadership . `` When he took over , the country was in very , very difficult straits . We were in one of the worst recessions we had seen in recent times , close to a depression , '' Powell said . `` We were in real trouble . `` I saw over the next several years stabilization come back in the financial community . Housing is now starting to pick up after four years . It 's starting to pick up . Consumer confidence is rising . So I think generally , we 've come out of the dive , and we 're starting to gain altitude . It does n't mean we are problem solved . There are lots of problems still out there . The unemployment rate is too high . People are still hurting in housing . But I see that we are starting to rise up . '' Ai n't nothing like a critically thinking brother , right , John ? This issue will not get a rise out of President Obama or Gen. Colin Powell . They wo n't even dignify Sununu and others who think like them . They 'll just keep laughing all the way up the ladder to the next successful step , marveling at the childishness of some whites to reduce black support of another African-American to just the color of their skin and not the content of their character . The opinions expressed in this country are solely those of Roland Martin .
Roland Martin : John Sununu said Martin backed Thursday because he is black . He says it 's asinine to say race motivates blacks ' endorsements rather than accomplishment . He wants Romney to explain how Martin 's whiteness earned his support . John Sununu : It 's childish for some whites to reduce black support to skin color , not character .