That seems to be a hot topic on talk radio these days, and in my
view, the answer is no. At least, there is nothing in his words or
deeds to suggest that Obama shares Jeremiah Wright's extreme views.
I still, however, think the story is a completely legitimate
campaign issue.
For me, there are several possible conclusions to be drawn from
the Rev. Wright fiasco, and none reflect well on Obama. If you take
Obama at his word that he was unaware of Wright's hateful views, it
really raises questions about his judgement -- how could he know
this man and attend his sermons for nearly 20 years without being
able to size him up? Another possibility is that he did know that
Wright held inflamatory views, but simply looked the other way,
which (combined with his relationship with Bill Ayers, the
anti-Israel views of his advisors, his sluggishness in criticizing
Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas, his eagerness to meet with
foreign dictators, etc.) suggest he is overly tolerant of abhorrent
behavior. A moral relativist of the worst sort. That is a scary
thought for a man who could lead America in the war on terrorism.
The other option is that Obama was just doing whatever was
politically expedient. He used his membership in the Church to help
integrate himself with the black community in the South Side of
Chicago, which helped launch his political career, but now that his
relationship has damaged him at the national level, he's decided to
distance himself from Rev. Wright. That undercuts the central
message of his campaign that he isn't a typical politician.
There are Obama defenders out there who keep insisting that
Wright is not on the ballot, so he shouldn't be an issue. But once
again we get to the heart of the problem with Obama's candidacy.
Because he has such a thin public record that he could point to as
evidence of how he might govern, Americans are struggling to take
the measure of a man who remains very much a mystery. That's why
controversial personal relationships take on a magnified
importance.
topics:
Israel
