Is Barack Obama an African American?

I feel there is some connection between racial identification and the historical legacy that defines African-Americans as a group. I think that many people self-identify with the heritage they are most familiar with and have experienced the most influence from. The President has a very diverse background yet is identified as being the first African-American president despite having roots from many different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It seems like self-identification often starts from the outside by looking at the color of one’s skin.