By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The knives are out for former President Jimmy Carter for telling the truth: Racism is hurting President Barack Obama.

Look at the facts, which show there's a great racial divide in America regarding Obama.

In the 2008 elections, for instance, Obama got 10 percent of the white vote in Alabama, 11 percent in Mississippi, 23 percent in Georgia and 26 percent in Texas.

Even outside the South, Obama received 31 percent of the white vote in Utah, 33 percent in Idaho, 40 percent in Kansas and 42 percent in Missouri.

It's not at all untoward to look at those results and conclude that there were plenty of white people in those states judging Obama by his skin color, not the merits of his positions vs. GOP candidate John McCain.

And as Carter pointed out Tuesday, that kind of racial divide continues to exist in America as Obama tries to carry out his policies.

Obama doesn't want this furor on his hands right now, given all the incredibly important policy decisions he's handling.

But critics are off base when they carp about Carter and his comments. They were truthful. And they sting.