The writer of the article is confusing credentials with competence, which as you point out, is not the same.
I thought Eric Holder was headed in the right direction when he said we don’t have honest conversations about race (then he started bashing whites). The most basic problem for blacks now is the lack of honesty from institutions like schools and emplyers; people who barely speak (and can’t write) passable English shouldn’t expect that they have much to offer a potential employer. Giving unearned diplomas, degrees, jobs, and promotions only exacerbates the problem; they truly believe they have earned these things that no white would ever get with their skill set.
There is a big difference in what you can expect from a white guy and any “preferred minority” (black, Hispanic, and/or female) in any role.