Wright crosses the line, Obama cuts him loose.

[Anguirus]

Thanks for saving me the trouble, Degan.

In what government position would you want to see someone like Wright?

If I answer your question, will you answer mine?

I wouldn't particularly like to see Wright in a government position (and it will never happen now) but I would be relatively indifferent to him holding some minor government post, considering that he'd be better than nearly every torture-humper that Bush has appointed and I'm not out in the streets protesting that right this second.

Anyway, someone who knows the issue better than I, has Wright actually made explicitly racist statements? Or has he just evidenced extreme distrust of the government? (I believe I've pointed out why those feeling might be justified.)

[Big Phil]

I'm not defending the statements made by other Republicans

Perhaps not, but you're certainly attacking Barak Obama for statements he hasn't made while not criticizing Republicans for similar statements

nor am I saying that what Wright said is worse than those comments.

No, you're curiously ignoring them outright, preferring to focus on criticizing Obama for statements those close to him make. For some reason, Clinton and McCain are NOT responsible for statements made by their friends, family, and affiliates, but Obama is?

But BETWEEN THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES (which are by far more news-worthy than anyone in Congress), Wright's comments are the worst.

Jeremiah Wright is not a presidential candidate. He does not speak for Barack Obama either.

Now, I think that theatrics play into Wright's comments because he certainly comes across pretty poorly, but I think that there's more to it than JUST theatrics--the substance is bad, too.

So you're condemning Barack Obama because Jeremiah Wright is a douchebag, a racist, and a narcissistic asshole, but for some reason Hillary Clinton and John McCain are excused for associating, and seeking out endorsements from, similar racist assholes?

Talk about double standards...

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Yes. Crazy people have a right to vote in this country, and I don't have a problem with a candidate because a crazy person says that they like him. There's a MASSIVE FUCKING DIFFERENCE between receiving a vote from someone and hiring them onto your campaign staff, where you are expected to promulgate and articulate the views of your candidate, and to advise your candidate.

Really? What about going out of your fucking way to try and nab the endorsement of said crazy person, long after they had started and still continue to say crazy things? What about publicly stating, "Yeah, I accepted the endorsement of this psycho, I went out of my way to get it, and I think he's alright!" more or less?

And I'm going to go with Anguirus here: What position is Wright on Obama's staff? Your argument is that him being on Obama's staff means that his own views can arguably become policy. That can only happen if he's in a position to dictate policy for the campaign. If his position on the staff was, essentially, nothing more than pencil pushing, or organizing, or supervising, then he has no real power. Where I work there are a couple of rabid, nutty fundies who would, if they had their way, hang me for being bisexual. But they're nothing but low-level grunts and cannot make policy, so as long as they do their job I don't give a shit what their views are.

Not to mention the fact that Obama had publicly stated, quite a while ago, that he did not agree with Wright's views... thus to actually take them in his campaign would make him as hypocritical as McCain on torture, I doubt he'd do that.

Total strawman. I'm saying that having nutjobs on your campaign staff is something that a voter might reasonably consider when selecting a candidate. Do you not agree?

No, I don't. It's definitely something a voter will consider, especially once the opposing mudslingers start flinging it everywhere, but it's anything but reasonable. If he's on the staff, but not in a position where his personal viewpoints can become policy, then his personal viewpoints are fucking moot. Considering the fact that Obama has stated publicly that he does not agree with Wright would lead a reasonable person to suspect that either Obama's lying through his teeth, or that Wright's views are not going to become policy.

Of course, a vast majority of voters aren't reasonable people, but that's not what you were arguing.

[Master of Ossus]

Alright, I concede the debate that Wright is no worse than some of the other people involved in other political campaigns. To say, though, that it shouldn't hurt a candidate AT ALL to be so closely affiliated with a racist nutjob, though, I think is unreasonable.

[SirNitram]

When he, like Hagee, calls for the Jews to be annihilated in a holy war so that the world ends and everyone but the True Believers suffers hideous fates worse than imagination...

You can continue your rants.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

Alright, I concede the debate that Wright is no worse than some of the other people involved in other political campaigns. To say, though, that it shouldn't hurt a candidate AT ALL to be so closely affiliated with a racist nutjob, though, I think is unreasonable.

*sigh* This is really going to hurt Obama. He did all he could, pretty much disowning Wright after he went from 'controversial' to 'insane', but you know this is going to be the most flung piece of mud by the Hils and possibly the McCains within a week.

Yeah, we kind of have that covered already.

[Adrian Laguna]

I was talking with my mother today, and she had an interesting opinion: Jeremiah Wright does not want Barack Obama to win the Democratic nomination, let alone the Presidency (he doesn't know it, though). The reason is that it threatens his world view, in fact, it threatens the fundamental core of his world view. He rather obviously subscribes to the idea that the White Man is keeping the Black Man down, that all the troubles that Black men and women experience are directly caused by White oppression. Barack Obama's candidacy, the fact that he is winning the race to the nomination, and is furthermore that he stands a serious chance of beating an old white guy in a general presidential election, presents an outside context problem for the Reverend. That is the reason why he won't stand aside and shut the fuck up.

[SirNitram]

An interesting view, but I think it's more ego. Wright is pissed that this young man who refuses to endorse his divisive views is more powerful and important than him. So he must destroy him.

[Shinova]

Obama looks rather tired in the latest pictures, or maybe it's just the pictures I'm looking at.

[Illuminatus Primus]

This might actually be good, in that Wright so obviously seems to be working against Obama that he can easily frame it as he really wasn't who he let on and Obama really doesn't have much in common with him. Think Team Obama quoting or pointing out Wright and saying, "Would you work with a man if you knew he really had these feelings of your ability, honesty, and effort? I think not. So why would Mr. Obama actually share Rev. Wright's views, when he had not seen what the man thought and felt about him personally?" Not to mention Wright now seems so insane now that whereas it may have been plausible to suggest Obama's patriotism was weak because he harbored an anti-American critic like Wright, its much less credible to suggest he honestly think AIDS is a genocidal conspiracy against blacks by the government he himself works for.