Christopher Hitchens is willing to ask the question that so many others are not, and the one to which the answer seems pretty obvious, at least to me:
What can it be that has kept Obama in Wright's pews, and at Wright's mercy, for so long and at such a heavy cost to his aspirations? Even if he pulls off a mathematical nomination victory, he has completely lost the first, fine, careless rapture of a post-racial and post-resentment political movement and mired us again in all the old rubbish that predates Dr. King. What a sad thing to behold. And how come? I think we can exclude any covert sympathy on Obama's part for Wright's views or style--he has proved time and again that he is not like that, and even his own little nods to "Minister" Farrakhan can probably be excused as a silly form of Chicago South Side political etiquette. All right, then, how is it that the loathsome Wright married him, baptized his children, and received donations from him? Could it possibly have anything, I wonder, to do with Mrs. Obama?
This obvious question is now becoming inescapable, and there is an inexcusable unwillingness among reporters to be the one to ask it. (One can picture Obama looking pained and sensitive and saying, "Keep my wife out of it," or words to that effect, as Clinton tried to do in 1992 when Jerry Brown and Ralph Nader quite correctly inquired about his spouse's influence.) If there is a reason why the potential nominee has been keeping what he himself now admits to be very bad company--and if the rest of his character seems to make this improbable--then either he is hiding something and/or it is legitimate to ask him about his partner.
It's looking more and more like 1992 all over again. Except this time, there's no Ross Perot (at least so far) to save the Democrats from themselves.
Rand,
You once wondered how Bill Clinton would have fared in the age of the internet.
Would not Barry O' be an suitable surrogate for der slickmeister?
I think we're going to find out. Unless Hillary! manages to steal the nomination from him.
I'm not willing to give Barry even that much of an excuse.
Mr. Simberg is falling in love with Hillary Clinton. Making it a threesome with Rush Limbaugh. What a depressing sight.
Mr. Simberg is falling in love with Hillary Clinton.
That is probably one of the most idiotic comments to ever appear on this web site. And that's a pretty high bar. And of course (unsurprisingly) it's anonymous.
I wouldn't want to attach my name to anything that stupid, either.
I'm not so sure. It takes the mainstream media about 1.5 months to be forced to really deal with facts they'd rather not, especially if they're instigated by bloggers or talk radio.
In other words, although Barry-O looks Barry-over, all the attention has been off Hillary for months.
Meanwhile, if she gets the nomination in August, there is high liklihood the media will do their best to help "run out the clock" for all of September and October.
You'll see. Every news item in September will be about how bad the economy is. October will be all about some McCain suprise or misstep.
Agreed re Michelle Obama. She appears to be a loose cannon and, perhaps, to hold the power in her relationship with her husband.
I hope you're right about Obama's chances in November. The alternative hypothesis is that Obama has a chance because a generation has passed since '92, and there are probably lots of new voters who don't know the history of the Left (or much else).
Strange aside.
Surfing cable in Indiana about 10-15 years ago I came upon a public access bit from a local church with guest lecturer Louis Farrakhan(sp?) who as I watch dumbfounded for sometime, gave a sermon outlining how Martin Luther King was a race traitor hired by the Jewish conspiracy to help destroy the colored races...
I keep remembering that every time Rev. Wright talks about why he gave Farrakhan the award since he was such a major intellect and influence in the black movement.
8/