Affirmative Action programs do have built in preferences ... I just don't think they work as well as some people suggest.
Without quotas ... It's like making thought crimes illegal ... You cannot enforce thought crimes unless someone is stupid enough to tell you what they think.
In situation where quotas exist ... They don't ensure the proper attention is paid to the best applicant ... Mainly because race isn't the best qualifier.
"Affirmative Action" is an euphemism for discrimination against whites. If you doubt how effective it is, compare SAT scores of blacks vs. whites and good colleges for an objective illustration. The average black high school graduate has the academic ability of a white 8th-grader, or less. They don't earn admissions into college. If they actually do well on the SAT, they can go to any ivy league school they want, with a free ride.
AA uses quotas. The quotas just aren't directly official.
Whites who commit crimes against blacks are almost presumed to have been motivated by unapproved racial thoughts. In court, they're forced to disprove a hate-crime. But, blacks are almost never charged with hate crimes, no matter how blatantly anti-white they are.