Seeing the illustration, I see how it could be taken both ways.
However. . . how many times do people say things like "it's so easy even a monkey could do it!"??
Or when you look at something that's poorly written, you say something like "this looks like it could have been written by a monkey"?
Sure, I've heard the derogatory comparison before. . . but seriously. . .
Throughout the Obama campaign, people debated whether or not it was the right time for an African American to be elected. Has everyone forgotten that he's also half Caucasian? Has everyone forgotten that he was raised by Caucasian relatives? So, logically, if the monkey symbolizes Obama (and it doesn't), it would represent 1/2 of him?
What's the big deal about skin color? I, personally, don't understand why America continues to be divided when it comes to race. Eventually, hundreds of years down the road, everyone in America will end up being some shade of "Tan" and everyone will be 1/8 this and 1/4 of that. So why should we even separate ourselves by choice? No one is forcing us to segregate ourselves.
Regardless of the NAACP, the image is there for everyone to see still. It doesn't change the intent or the content of the image. At this point, they're just looking for things to pick at. Honestly, it's almost comical. Besides, distracting people with "race debates" will keep people from seeing the real problems, right?