Words Matter

A doctor walks into a room and tells his patient "I have good news for you and bad news for you. The good news....you're not a hypochondriac"

Obama got some good news this week...he's proven to "middle America" he is not Muslim. (which according to the pudints somehow makes you unelectable in America)

The bad news...it's been uncovered the Christian Church he attends is anti-American and racist.
In fact, Obama has been a member of Rev. Wright's Trinity congregation for over 20 years. He was married by Wright in the Church, his children were baptised by Wright in the Church, Obama has referred to Rev. Wright as his personal mentor, and both Obama's "Yes we can!" slogan as well as the title of his book "Audacity of Hope" came from Rev. Wright's sermons. I found a one minute snippet of Obama's mentor preaching in case you haven't seen him:



I can't wait to see what he has in store for Easter this Sunday...should be uplifting!

What is the big deal you may ask. Just because Obama's mentor and pastor of 20 years is racist that doesn't mean Obama holds those views. I agree, but Obama's reaction to this political firestorm has shown 1) dishonesty and 2) hypocrisy:

1) Initially Obama told reporters he never heard any of Wright's hate filled sermons. Even in his speech today Obama's claimed:

"Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect."

He expects us to believe he has a close relationship with Rev. Wright, and attended the Trinity church for 20 years, but somehow has never heard this hate language himself. The usually fawning media called Obama to task in a recent Newsmax piece:

In fact, Obama was present in the South Side Chicago church on July 22 last year when Jim Davis, a freelance correspondent for Newsmax, attended services along with Obama.
In his sermon that day, Wright tore into America, referring to the “United States of White America” and lacing his sermon with expletives as Obama listened. Hearing Wright’s attacks on his own country, Obama had the opportunity to walk out, but Davis said the senator sat in his pew and nodded in agreement.

While one may splice words, and claim a sermon is not a conversation, that logic dangerously resembles an argument over what the definition of "is" is. Given the entire candidacy of Obama is based solely on transcending the "politics of the past" the resemblence is a dangerous slope indeed.

2) Obama's hypocrisy: Almost exactly one year ago another race controversy grabbed the nation's attention. Don Imus referred to Rutger's University women's basketball team as "nappy headed hos" in a comment to his newsman. Obama was on the campaign trail and quick with a comment after MSNBC suspended Imus:

"I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus," Obama told ABC News, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude."

"He didn't just cross the line," Obama said. "He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America. The notions that as young African-American women -- who I hope will be athletes -- that that somehow makes them less beautiful or less important. It was a degrading comment. It's one that I'm not interested in supporting."

Though every major presidential candidate has decried the racist remarks, Obama is the first one to say Imus should lose his job for them.

One could make a case either way for whether Imus should have been fired. But how can Obama who claimed the need to examine the entirety of a man's actions when referring to Rev. Wright in his speech today not give Imus the same treatment? (Did he take the time to learn that Imus opened, and runs with his wife, a 4,000 acre ranch solely for the benefit of children with cancer and siblings of children who died of SIDS)

How can Obama refuse to disown Wright, or fire him as an advisor? Instead he defended Wright's words as a product of growing up in a segregated America? Does he know the circumstances of Imus' upbringing?

The big question now, is Barrack Obama the man who he professes to be? The man who will bridge the divides in this country?