More On Rev. Wright

dNa notes that it really doesn't matter what Rev. Wright says, his very appearance is a liability to Obama. I'll have more to say on this later, but I've been thinking about this since I watched Wright on Bill Moyers on Friday. I've always expected a little bit of compromise out of my politicians--but I also like supporting people who know what they would be willing to loose over. If Barack Obama looses because of Jeremiah Wright--something I don't see happening--I will know what sort of country I'm living in. I'm one of those optimistic blacks that generally believes that the "white working class" is routinely caricatured, that race is complicated, and racism even more so. I have great hope for this country, and I believe that every generation has gotten a little better in how it deals with race.

But I watched Wright on Friday, and I can't, for the life of me, figure out why he's allegedly so offensive to white sensibilities. Pastor Hagee is a certified nut and a bigot, no question. But, really, him endorsing John McCain isn't the reason I won't vote for him. Billy Graham was a lying anti-semite, but that didn't keep me from supporting the Clintons. James Baker says "Fuck The Jews" and is still considered a respectable member of the foreign policy establishment. But when a black pastor is taken out of context, suddenly it's Armageddon. If this is the basis by which we elect a president, then we're in more trouble than we can begin to know.