The Wrong of Wright

I keep thinking back to all the hysteria about Theresa Heinz Kerry during the '04 election, and what a 'distraction' it was as the Wright issue continues to seethe in the twilight of the Democratic primary. I can see both sides of the argument on issues like this. On the one hand, it is unfair to judge a man on comments he did not make himself. As a basic human courtesy, we owe Obama the opportunity to be judged on his own stated beliefs, not those of his pastor. On the other, it is not inappropriate to draw conclusions from the company a man keeps. Particularly when said candidate's record is anemic enough that his primary draw is that nebulous element of character. Obama himself has admitted that there is a certain legitimacy to these questions, and it brings the issue all the more into the spotlight

Still, the real judgments I'm going to make about Obama aren't going to stem so much from the insanity spewed by his hate mongering preacher. I know that I am not always in agreement with my pastor on political issues. While I certainly would not have tolerated the things Wright said, I know the Senator and I have different world views. However, I am going to judge him for not having the good sense to pack Wright off on a six month tour of distant African countries. Specifically, ones without any form of media or reliable electronic communications. How simple is this? Wright has clearly already muddied the waters, so how does the Obama campaign miss that Wright is about to appear on CNN and say incredibly controversial things?

What kind of foolishness asserts that blacks and whites have different brains? What rational person would argue that the United States is morally equivalent with Al Qaeda? Come on Senator, it was pretty clear that you needed LESS Wright exposure, not MORE. How hard would it have been to remove the reverend from the spotlight until AFTER November?

If you are not inclined to question Obama's judgment about his connections to Wright, Ayers, etc., then we must agree to opposing views. We all have our own tolerances. Still, from a purely tactical standpoint, I would think that it is self evident to all he has fatally erred here. We should all question the Senators judgment for his failure to control the Reverend Wright issue. It should be easily managed, and instead it has become his Achille's heel. Sen. Obama has two hundred million some dollars in his campaign fund. Certainly some of that could be utilized to ensure that the so called 'distractions' of this race are not making themselves the centerpiece of major press events. That's just bush league.