by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 17, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

lammed for his 20-year involvement with Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) finds himself in the hot seat, explaining his tolerance of Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright, whose incendiary rhetoric sometimes goes over the top. “I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies,” said Barack, reacting to growing criticism for Wright's public remarks in the wake of Sept. 11. “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye,” Wright preached on the Sunday following 9/11. “We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming to roost.”

      Wright's sermon ranks among the most vicious anti-American, self-loathing attacks on U.S. foreign policy, more cogent than the ramblings of televangelists and Christian broadcasters Rev. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who blamed Sept. 11 on America's acceptance of “pagans, abortionists, feminists and gays and lesbians.” Blaming America for Osama bin Laden's assault on humanity brought condemnation across the political and religious spectrum, prompting apologies from both Falwell and Robertson. Focus today on Obama's minister represents a dirty political trick and cheap shot by the GOP with the blessings of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) seeking to score points before the April 22 Pennsylvania primary. Hillary and the GOP have joined forces to upend Obama's bid for the Democratic nomination. Republicans believe they have a better shot in the fall against Hillary.

      Like most controversial ministers, Wright's hateful speech mirrors the frustrations of African Americans, whose history of slavery and discrimination represents a bitter pill in American life. It's beyond ironic that the Democrat's historic race between a white woman and black man doesn't highlight progress toward equality but rather the lingering divide between the races. Former President Bill Clinton pulled the race card before the Jan. 26 South Carolina primary, telling voters that Obama would win because of African American support. When former Walter Mondale's 1984 Democratic VP candidate and Hillary finance advisor Geraldine Ferraro told the Daily Breeze March 3 that Obama's success was because he was black, race surfaced again. Ferraro denied any racism, blaming Barack's campaign manager David Axelrod for taking her remarks out of context.

      “If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (or any other color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be lucky to be who he is. And the country has caught up in the concept,” said Ferraro, underscoring either her blindness to political correctness or a carefully calculated Clinton strategy to divide the races. Post-election results analysis of recent primaries in Wyoming and Mississippi show Clinton receiving 70% of white vote, arguing that she's better positioned in the general election to run against GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). With most polls showing that Barack runs better against McCain, Hillary's message can only be about capturing a bigger share of the white vote. When considering the racial overtones in the campaign, it seems disingenuous to attack Obama's minister for Afro-centric speech.

      Before the GOP and Clinton campaign highlighted Barack's 20-year involvement in Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, they circulated rumors he was really a closet Muslim, citing his early-life education in a Muslim school in Jakarta, Indonesia. When that approach failed, they centered on playing clips from Wright's most controversial sermons. “Reverend Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life,” Obama wrote on the Huffington Post. Barack's critics can't understand why a person like Obama, whose message is one of inclusion, would tolerate Wright's hateful speech. Playing Wright's most offensive rhetoric on right wing talk radio leaves voters with the impression that Barack must embrace the same anger that compelled Wright to speak out. Voters don't see the connection to the Hillary and McCain campaigns.

      Staying front-runner has invited a host of oblique attacks on Barack's candidacy. Hillary and McCain have nothing to lose, attacking Obama, hoping to gain traction before the Pennsylvania primary. When McCain's pastor, San Antonio televangelist John Hagee, called the Catholic Church “the great whore of Babylon” or blamed hurricane Katrina on the “gay rights movement,” the press didn't question McCain's Christian faith or judgment. Playing incendiary clips of Rev. Wright serves the GOP and Clinton campaign. Most GOP strategists would prefer running against Hillary in November, agreeing with conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh's strategy to help Hillary beat Obama. Obama needs to remind voters that he's not the African American candidate running for president: He's the Democratic Party's expected nominee, who happens to be black.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2005 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.