Barack Obama has little in common with George W. Bush, thank God, his obsessive workouts and message control notwithstanding.As we saw during primary season, our president-elect is not free of his own brand of hubris and arrogance, and sometimes it comes before a fall: “You’re likable enough, Hillary” was
You can’t blame V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an early Obama booster, for feeling as if he’d been slapped in the face. “I’m all for Rick Warren being at the table,” he told The Times, but “we’re talking about putting someone up front and center at what will be the most-watched inauguration in history, and asking his blessing on the nation. And the God that he’s praying to is not the God that I know.” Unlike Bush, Obama has been the vocal advocate of gay civil rights he claims to be. It is over the top to assert,
(end of excerpts)
Here is the comment I posted.*
Obama tends to see the good side only, when it comes to ministers. Didn't his relationship with the Reverend Wright teach us this? To me this shows naiveté rather than cockiness. I hope this “one-sided vision” doesn’t apply to heads of state. I’m glad he’ll have Hillary as a buffer.
As for “you’re likable enough Hillary”, that has been way overblown. Watch the tape again. He was caught by surprise and had to say something. Maybe a bit sardonic, but not arrogant.
And “obsessive workouts”? Daily exercise is important, especially when one wants to relieve stress and stay in shape. With George W. Bush, on the contrary, it was clear that being a “physical trainer” was a more important role to him than being president.
As for Bishop Gene Robinson’s comment that “the God that [Rick Warren] is praying to is not the God that I know.” That statement is off the mark. I guess he meant "interpreting" rather than "praying to"
As for Warren’s role at the inaugural, it bothers me too. I would have preferred a ”Billy Graham” type, one who doesn’t state that Jews don’t go to Heaven, as Warren did when asked about it at an Aspen Ideas Festival. **
Barack Obama is only human, not divine. So let’s all stay in the big tent and wait to see how he actually governs as president. We’re really not sure, but most of the early signs are positive.
(end of comment)
*This comment actually appeared. Number 938.
Harold Myerson in the Oct 6, 2008 edition of the Washington Post sets the stage very clearly what kind of reformer John McCain has been and would be if his pal and close adviser, Phil Gramn, is any indication. According to Myerson, Republican Gramn was instrumental as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee in getting a provision attached to an omnibus spending bill on Dec 15, 2000 that really set the stage for the credit market meltdown that is underpinning the current financial crisis. The Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA) prohibited government regulation of credit default swaps. These are the insurance products, most often in the form of derivatives that expanded to $62 trillion when the housing market was hot. Although Myerson does not say so, the lack of regulation has an implicit role in the leverage that brought down Lehman Brothers. Myerson also states that the CFMA prohibited regulation of the energy-trading market. This enabled Enron to so manipulate the energy market that it was able to hold the state of California hostage and outsmart itself into bankruptcy. Unlike Bill Ayers or Rev. Wright, McCain’s relationship with Phil Gramn is a close one. Myerson clearly states, “…that Gramm's relationship to McCain is not comparable to the relationships that Ayers or Wright have with Obama. The idea that either Ayers or Wright would have any impact on the workings of an Obama administration is nonsensical. But Gramm and McCain do have an enduring political and economic alliance [emphasis mine]. McCain chaired Gramm's short-lived presidential campaign in 1996; Gramm is co-chair of McCain's current effort. McCain has not repudiated reports that Gramm is on the shortlist to become Treasury secretary if McCain is elected, even after Gramm labeled America ‘a nation of whiners.’”In relation to the presidential debate on Oct, 7, 2008, when McCain may try to assassinate Obama’s character by inappropriately tying him to Bill Ayers and terrorists, Myerson’s last sentence sums it up neatly, “If pressed, though, he [Obama] can mention that it is McCain's senior economic adviser who has diminished American solvency and power beyond the wildest dreams of anti-American terrorists.
If McCain does try to malign Barack during the debate, my guess is that it will backfire as has already started because of Palin’s disgusting accusation concerning Sen. Obama and terrorists. The electoral avalanche in Obama’s favor that is starting to happen could only accelerate. The Republicans may finally learn that when there are real problems facing the country the politics of mean doesn’t play in Peoria.
To all the trolls who are using the Rev. Wright hooplah to justify their hatred for Obama:
Rev. Wright is not running for president.
I doubt that Obama appreciated this guy's comments.
So forget the Rev. Wright thing and move on with your life.
Thank you.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Quotes
"Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them." "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.""When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.""You know my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled by the iron feet of oppression ...If we are wrong, the Supreme Court of this nation is wrong. If we are wrong, the Constitution of the United States is wrong. And if we are wrong, God Almighty is wrong. If we are wrong, Jesus of Nazareth was merely a utopian dreamer that never came down to Earth. If we are wrong, justice is a lie, love has no meaning. And we are determined here in Montgomery to work and fight until justice runs down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.""Many of the ugly pages of American history have been obscured and forgotten. A society is always eager to cover misdeeds with a cloak of forgetfulness, but no society can fully repress an ugly past when the ravages persist into the present. America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most element of greatness — justice.""Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems I can hear God saying to America "you are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name.""They asked if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems in Vietnam, to bring about the changes it wanted. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without havingfirst spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today — my own government.""This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love."
"If America does not use her vast resources of wealth to end poverty, to make it possible for all of God's children to have the basic necessities of life, she too will go to Hell…." "It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages," King said two weeks before his death."… I can hear the God of the universe saying… 'The children of my sons and daughters were in need of economic security, and you didn't provide for them. So you cannot enter the kingdom of greatness'.""America gave the black man a bad check that's been bouncing all around,"King said in March, 1968. "… You are even unjustly spending $500,000 to kill a single Viet Cong soldier, while you spend only $53 a year per person for everybody categorized as poverty-stricken.' Instead of spending $35 billion every year to fight an unjust, ill-considered war in Vietnam and $20 billion to put a man on the moon, we need to put God's children on their own two feet."
Martin L. King Jr. curses America and tell our government to "CHANGE" its ways (YouTude Video)
Comments welcome..."GOD DAMN AMERICA!"Is Wright's comment REALLY un-American? Read on...Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. [Genesis 18:20]Son of man, set your face against Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary. Prophesy against the land of Israel" [Ezekiel 21:2]This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem. This city must be punished;it is filled with oppression. [Jeremiah 6:6]Sound Familiar?Here's a similar quote from Rev. Jeremiah Wright (yes, I bolded his first name on purpose to make a point):“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no,no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”I've been hearing so much back and forth about this, I wanted to bring in a fresh perspective...Let's take a quick look at the above statement... Isn't it fair, for a Christian pastor, to ask God to avenge the blood of an oppressed people? Isn't it fair for someone who prays, to ask God to repay those who have put themselves in the place of God? Yep.... it's totally fair... AND Biblical... (the Bible verses above are just a tiny sampling of how the Bible addresses these issues).Wright is a pastor, and he thinks in terms of Biblical Law... in fact, he would be sold on the idea that the United States is a "christian" nation, and as such, is "supposed" to be "godly."If the United States, claiming to be a "christian" nation, instead becomes an "ungodly" nation, it is totally normal for a Christian leader to ask God to repay their infidelity to God... (it's everywhere they look in the Bible).Wright isn't saying: "go out and take over the country," which is what the Declaration of Independence says is the prescription when "any government becomes destructive of these ends," (speaking of the right to life, liberty and the persuit of happiness), Wright is saying "God damn America." Wright is calling on God to NOT bless the country "as long as" she is guilty of the things outlined in red above... he's not declaring a holy war, nor advocating one... he's not saying he "hates America." He, like his namesake, Jeremiah of the Bible, is asking God to judge and chastise America for her wanderings from the Godly ways... Like his namesake Jeremiah, he's asking God to remember the sins of a so-called "christian" nation and hold her accountable for her hypocrasy... He's a man of God, calling on God to repay America for the three things mentioned above (highlighted in red). Jeremiah was an Israelite... he was a prophet of Israel... he LOVED Israel SO MUCH, that he prayed for God to chastise her... and so did Isaiah, and so did Ezekiel... and MANY of the Israelite prophets... in times of hypocrasy and backsliding, the men of God of the Bible, called on God to chastise... to "repay." This would be something TOTALLY natural for Wright to say, as a christian pastor... especially one who tells the truth from the Bible... here's the list again:1. Killing innocent people (which the US government has done. It's called "collateral damage.")
2. For treating our citizens as less than human (which still occurs in many forms)
3. As long as she (America) acts like she is God and she is supreme.What we have to ask is: "What does 'God damn America' mean?"What is Wright asking God for here? The evidence is in the term "as long as." Wright is saying, "as long as" America continues to act in the listed ways, I'm asking God to "not bless America." Why? Because America doesn't deserve a blessing from God "as long as" she continues to behave in the manner listed above... not under those circumstances... and the opposite of "God bless America" is, "God damn America." Of course, Wright COULD have said: "God don't bless America as long as she behaves this way," but he chose the more dramatic form of the statement.Wright is basically saying: "God, teach America a lesson... teach her NOT to do the things she's doing... He's not saying: "I HATE America".. "He's saying: "I LOVE America so much... and what America is supposed to be, that I am asking God to NOT bless her... to force her to wake up from her hypocracy and repent... this is the job of the Pastor... to call his people to REPENT... and to ask God to bring that repentence about, for the good of America... this is a pastor's love for a country, enough that he would call upon God to "damn" her "as long as" her behavior deviates from her "godly" calling...Now ask yourself: "Should I ask God to bless a country that does the three things listed above?" Should I ask God to bless the leaders of Darfur, or Damn them?" "Should I ask God to bless those who engage in ethnic cleansing, or should I ask God to Damn them?" As a man of God, who follows the Bible, and the laws of God...When I read Wright's words, with the understanding of the Israelite prophets that I have, I don't see a man who "hates" America... I see a man who loves "the idea" of "the true" America so much, that he would ask God to punish her "as long as" she commits her backsliding atrocities against his creatures...Finally, the converse of what Wright is saying is: "When America DOES finally awaken, and live our her creed, then and ONLY then, will 'God bless America.'"
I just got this message and watched the video. I would like a chance to respond to it. As some of you may know, I have been a supporter of Obama for a long time. And while I know most of you are not, and probably wouldn't consider him just by virtue of the fact that he is a democrat, I do think it fair that the truth be told. If you disagree with his policies, voting record and what he stands for then you should vote for another candidate. However, if it is because of videos and e-mails that are circulating the internet like this one, then I think you should reconsider. Every accusation in this video is either completely fabricated or twisted beyond any resemblance of the original fact. I have taken the time to research these myself because I feel it's very important to know what a candidate believes, stands for and what his or her background is before committing to them. So, let me share with you what my research has shown. First however, I want to say that I don't mean this as an attack on anyone who has sent this-- I know when you hear things like this video your first thought is fear, and you want to do what's best to protect your country. I believe that most of the people who send these do so not realizing that the information in them is false, but that doesn't make the damage done any less real. If you've passed this video along, and my arguments convince you that the statements in it are false, please consider sending along another e-mail to let people know the dishonesty of the video. You can even send along my comments if you'd like. Blessings!
Wright has become the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts. It would be nice to think that race isn't a factor in American politics anymore, but it is. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives. Meanwhile, McCain should highlight his credentials as a reformer and a maverick to attract Democrats and independents who worry about Obama. Forget about the base. It will be there. Obama's liberalism, his pro-tax agenda and his proposed weakening of the USA Patriot Act -- as well as fears that he would appoint to office people such as Rev. Wright and William Ayers, a former member of the Weather Underground -- will all assure the full mobilization of the right.
I can’t write half of the thoughts that came to mind and keep this in less than 20 line acrostic poem. This topic is too provocative and perhaps I might revisit it in some of my other works. I was so disturbed over the last broadcast by Hannity that I felt that if switching the television off would hurt him I would had toddle the on and off switch for the better part of the hour. How could a man by mere speculation define another base on the rants of his Rev. I know nothing of my Rev., School teacher and sometimes many of my co-workers with whom I spend 10 and more hours per day. I also have a close family member who has some values that I distant myself from but I still love my family. If The Rev. Wright is as bad as we now believe him to be and Barack is not like a pea in the same pod then Barack may be very strong in character to have avoid his ver prominent influence.
Profanity of Hannity
Putting it all into perspective I forcefully say
Rev. Wright behaved in the wrong way
On TV and when he was on the pulpit
Folk generally agreed he was inappropriate
As soon as Barack heard of this terrible disgrace
News came out and he had his talks on race
I heard him denounced the incendiary sound byte
Then disapproved of that side of the Rev. Wright
You would have thought guilt by association would disappear
O’Reilly and Hannity didn’t want it end there
For O’Reilly it’s his “fear” and balance reporting
Hannity who disclosed a strong Christian up bringing
And should therefore know the 6 “things doth the Lord hate”
Never adheres to Proverbs 6:16-19 when he does orate
No man “that soweth discord among brethren”
Is working to benefit his fellow men
The Proverbs later describe there’s honor to cease from strife
You’ll find though fools meddle to complicate another’s life
During this campaign, and at any time in life we must be aware that there is an enemy that seeks to destroy us, and I hate to say that even one that has walked in the steed of the 5 Fold ministry, proves to us in this day that there is always a Judas in the camp. One who desires to serve himself and in the process destroy another. I commend Barak for having the integrity and courage to denounce someone he knew well for a while but when that someone took on the spirit of the enemy, he separated himself, and rightly so.
It just ashamed that Rev. Wright chose to defile the office of God, much like Saul, who sought David's life because David was anointed to be king and he got jealous. Know that God is not pleased and in this day and this particular campaign, it's all about God.
You see this country must return to the state and mindset that it was created in and that was "In God We Trust." Faith is the key and it is the substance that we HOPE for and that will take CHANGE. People's minds and hearts have to be changed to value again the things that count. Loving God and loving one another.
To be honest, I am offended by Rev. Wright's remarks. I am retired from the Army and I have three children in the military, and the accusations he made against a country that he lives in and thrives in are absolute treason. In the military it would be noted under Article for Mutiny and Sedition. His remarks actually fit the definition of a Hate Crime. I can understand a Pastor speaking what God says in his Word that is definitely offensive to those who are guilty, but the things he said didn't come from God, check the Word. I think the FBI should hand cuff him and charge him for treason. His act was just as great as any terrorist attack we have had because he literally attempted to destroy not just Barak, but all that Martin Luther King Jr. died for and what this country needs right now... a chance to dream again, hope again, live again.
Dear Senator Obama,
I am a fan of yours and I voted for you during my states primaries. I will vote for you in November also, but I have a problem with the way you handled the Jeremiah Wright issue. Pastor Wright's comment were taken out of context and used to stire up some false problems. I don't believe you should have denounced his comments and release all ties with him. Where i'm from we stand behind our people, and I thank you should have taken up for Rev. Wright. If the media would have played the whole sermon then their wouldn't be such a controversy in the first place because if you listen to the whole sermon, (Which I did before I made judgements) you would have clearly understand the context of Rev. Wrights comments. I know you had to do what you did because most Americans following the race will not seek out the whole sermon as I did and they won't ever understand the whole sermon if they don't here it. I was worried at first because you were backed into a corner and you folded on this issue, but I still continue to support you because I understand what you had to do. Also being from New York, I could never vote for Hillary Clinton after she stole the New York senate seat. She never lived a day in New York but decided to run where she saw a weak race, and used her husbands popularity to win the seat. If she would have ran for the New York Senate seat without her husbands popularity she would have been shut out ridiculously. Also Bill Clinton's move into Harlem is leading to the gentrification of the African American people. What was once a bustling well known black community now is filled with Donald Trump condos, and the emergence of caucasians into our communties. Harlem is no longer what it once was. So keep the fight alive Senator Obama, but next time do what's right not what the media thinks you should do.
Oliver
Aristotle in his treatise on Rhetoric stated that in order for a message to be effective, one has to "bring before the eyes." That is, you have to give a vivid picture of whatever you are trying to say to the listener. This will be more convincing than just stating something; give examples, describe how those examples look, smell, feel.
I've been trying to leave off watching the continuing primary battle and focus instead on my massive amount of school work. I still get sucked into the news and process, every time we get close to a contest that could be decisive for Barack.
I've said in a previous post that I was disappointed by the Clintonian tactics used against Obama. Lately the two issues that have had some traction are the Rev. Wright controversy and the fallacy that Obama is an elitist. The Rev. Wright controversy is a very hard issue to deal with, especially with the Rev. running around digging a deeper hole for Obama to climb out of. Rev. Wright has a huge ego. The other issue needs to be dealt with by examples. Obama needs to start giving examples of hard times in his life, times when he was poor, times when he was worried, times when he didn't know how to go on. If he spells out some of the hardships he has overcome, then I think people will soften and stop believing the elitist charge.
I hope Barack win's Indian and North Carolina, so that we can start our work against John McCain.
Marcus
Michelle did an awesome job on the CNN interview tonight in stating clearly that she, Barack, and the campaign are committed to moving forward and that she will not be continuing to discuss the pastor controversy. GOOD FOR YOU, MICHELLE!!! And I expect that Barack will do the same thing when he is confronted with these questions on the campaign trail. :) Caroline also did an awesome job talking about how Barack DOES appeal to women and to blue collar Americans.
Here's the link to the video on CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/30/michelle.obama.interview/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
QUOTE
He would not have been my pastor. You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend. - Hillary Clinton
ENDQUOTE
I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Phil at 202.332-4010. I asked him to confirm that Hillary's Pastor Dean Snyder following quote.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism, and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. "To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church, which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. "Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth.
END QUOTE Phil stated that he did not know word for word the statement made, but did say that Rev. Dean Snyder gave a simular sermon to the congregation. I left a message for Rev. Snyder to give me a call.
Does this mean that Hillary will be leaving Foundry United Methodist Church? I called Hillary's West Virginia Campaign office about this issue. The volunteer seemed shocked.
I just wonder why the media does not cover this?
I was on CNN.com today and found this amazing piece written by Roland Martin. It offers ways in which Obama can get back on track and not allow the controversy with Rev. Wright take away his chance to bring real change to our country. Here is the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/04/30/roland.martin/index.html
And also visit my blog at:
http://therevealedoasis.blogspot.com/
where I also address this situation. God bless us all!
Why does Barack Obama distance himself so far from his "former" minister when his minister has such an incredible vision for change, and what ails this great nation? Everything, and I mean everything, that I've heard from the Rev. Wright is the God's honest truth! You know, sometimes the truth hurts. That is the part I think that makes the Rev. Wright non-issue an issue at all, and of course the media will blow it up just to have something to spat about and fill airtime.
Barack should be listening to his minister. Barack should be listening to his good conscience. Barack should be devising a plan to deal with the problems in which his minister discusses. By speaking that he's "outraged" only goes to make him appear weak and unsure of his positions. We want change! However, when issues come up that need to be changed so badly we run the other way? NO!
Barack should be the force of change that we need, and that he has campaigned on since the inception of his campaign. Know the truth, and speak the truth, because as your minister knows, God is listening and God knows. Fear not the truth because it is just the thing we need to set us free.
After today I would believe and hope the American people especially the media/pundits will STOP showing and stating Rev. Wright's words are those of Barack's and/or Michelle's.
If per chance there are some who still believe Barack needs to respond regarding this issue, I then ask those few, have you ever disagreed with your Religious party (congregation)? I for one as a Catholic have disagreed with my very own Religion and with certain aspects of the Catholic Religion. I have disagreed with some Priests, and frankly there have been a few occassions that I felt so saddened by some of their responses, because I disagreed with them.
Having said that I am still a Catholic, even though at times I felt like simply leaving the Catholic Religion. And, honestly is was due to one specific priest (even though I have not seen him in over 18 years). However he was honest, understanding and spoke with me like a HUMAN being.
Again, I say I believe most HUMAN'S disagree with their religion at one point or another. And I hope that the MEDIA NEEDS to start covering the true issues We The "UNITED" States Of America deeply NEED and WANT and DESERVE to hear.
I am currently watching CNN and there is a Republican on there, Leslie, and she is still bashing Barack Obama. Then I ask about Hagey and Parsley. As well, Wright did not speak the same as he did in front of the NPR. ENOUGH with the bashing of Barack and saying it is for political reasons, because at first he did not completly distance himself from Rev. Wright. To Leslie let's HONESTLY speak of John McCain's backers!
Thank you,
Patti
Barack Obama has just done a difficult - and necessary - thing. He has ended his relationship with Rev. Wright. I watched most of Sen. Obama's press conference (missed the very beginning but heard most of his opening remarks and all the questions he took) and am now listening to Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, and others analyze this developing story as I write.
I think both Chris and Andrea are correct in saying that - in starting what may now be an on-going fight with Rev. Wright - Barack is clearly telling the American people "I believe the opposite of what Rev. Wright believes". While Barack touched on this in his Philadelphia speech on race, he is now making it crystal clear: Those religious leaders who look backward and only see the problems of the past - without seeing the progress we've made AND the opportunities for continued healing and progress in America - have beliefs that are the opposite to those of Barack Obama.
Chris Matthews thinks that the Rev. Wright will take to this fight because - in Matthews' opinion -the Rev. Wright sees Senator Obama as the young upstart who is looking to replace him as the Black leader in America.
To those who say (as Pat Buchanan just did) that Barack Obama should have known that the Rev. Wright was "always like this" (given their relationship over the last 20 years), I would offer the following parallel:
People respond to levels of stress they haven't experienced before in different ways. It's called "reaching the breaking point". Bill Clinton has - in my opinion - experienced a similar extraordinary level of stress in recent months, as he has experienced this "young upstart" replacing both his wife and him as the leader of the Democratic Party. That's why the Bill Clinton we see today is so different from the Bill Clinton most of us have known over the years.
As this extraordinary level of stress and anger has led Bill Clinton to say the crazy, hurtful things he has said (such as "They played the race card on me."), I believe the incredible stress the Rev. Wright has been under - from seeing his words taken out of context and his 40 years of work being trashed in the court of public opinion to hearing Senator Obama say that the Rev. Wright's teachings are obsolete (my choice of words) in their frame of reference - has caused him to reach the breaking point... leading him to become someone who Senator Obama did NOT know he was.
Based on what the Rev. Wright said at the National Press Club, Senator Obama has seen clearly that the Rev. Wright has a very dark side... a dark side which has now come out. It may have been there all along, but it wasn't controlling Rev. Wright's behavior. Sadly, it is now.
Senator Obama, you have made a wise choice. You may be in a fight with Rev. Wright for the duration of your campaign, but you will be seen as being on the right side... the progressive side... the side devoted towards bringing America together - rather than pulling American apart - of that fight from now on.
I believe today will be seen as a landmark in Senator Obama's campaign... a positive turning point in which he finished defining himself in the context of what religion can be in America (and has been in the case of the work of other, constructive religious leaders).
Religion can be - and already is to many - a healing force in America. Sadly, that does not appear to be what Rev. Wright believes. But fortunately, that IS what Senator Barack Obama believes.
