Posted by
Andrews on Thursday, March 27, 2008 12:47:54 PM
I have to address one more thing about Reverend Wright, and then I promise no more about him today. (Unless of course new information comes to light. In that case, all promises are off.)
Recently I have heard some people offering damage control of Reverend Wright and Senator Obama. The tactic is a familiar one, but completely implausible in this case. The defender will say "If you went through everything I said over the past 20 years I am sure you would find some embarrassing things."
There are two rather huge holes in this argument.
First, it is not that Reverend Wright said something "embarrassing". He didn't say Rio was the capital of Brazil or drunkenly declare his lust for Madonna, he did not forget his wife's name or call his child a little punk. The man launched into long and detailed screeds against America, whites, Jews, and others. I don't know about those offering excuses, perhaps they do accidentally launch into racist diatribes from time to time. I can only say that you can go back over 20 years and I never once said anything close to what Reverend Wright said.
Nor were these the type of statements one makes by speaking without thought. It is not that he overstated a case, or was too emphatic in making a point. These statements are all consistent, but all are also predicated on a racist, conspiracy theory centered view of the world. Even speaking off the cuff, I would not find myself making up racist conspiracy theories. So, I find it very hard to believe that speaking extemporaneously somehow turned an otherwise reasonable Reverend Wright into a raving hate monger. That strains my credulity a bit too much.
Second, the characterization of these as cherry-picked comments is right, but for the wrong reason. Yes, these are selected comments, but selected by Reverend Wright and the church. They come from "best of" videos offered by the church (for the most part). So, these are quotes Wright and the church thought to represent his best work. That being the case, it seems a bit peculiar to claim they were selected "mistakes", as I don't think Wright would select his flubs for a "best of" video.
Please, it is time we at least were honest. Whether you like Obama or not, we all must admit that Reverend Wright knowingly preached a divisive, racist message. He was not embarrassed, but proud of what he said, even selling tapes of these statements. Likewise, his church also knew of these statements and endorsed them.
I won't argue here whether or not Obama knew or agreed. All I want is for both sides to agree that Reverend Wright did not misspeak, and this is not the case of a "few cherry picked quotes". This man is nothing less than a blatant racist who makes no effort to hide it.
If we are going to discuss Obama's association with Wright, I think we at least need to start form true propositions, and the claim that Wright was taken out of context or during mistakes is just not true.*
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* I am ignoring the "crazy old uncle" defense for the moment, as I dealt with it
elsewhere. But to quickly summarize, he has been making statements like these since at least 2001, so it is not a new development. Nor does it surprise the congregation, whose web site clearly endorses the same beliefs as Wright, making it pretty clear he is the pastor because of these beliefs, not despite them. The evidence just does not support a declining mind in an otherwise upstanding man.