Would Obama be in this position if.......?????

No, I think he had to work harder to convince voters who initially saw him as a "long shot" at best to become the nominee. What he has endured while keeping his "cool" is what, I think, shows that regardless of his alleged "lack of experience" he can rise to the challenges and deal with them in a mature, intelligent manner. This is in sharp contrast to McCain, who is known to lose his temper and lash out at anyone who challenges his point of view.