Well, he may not be able to do it much longer:
…there’s no cherry-picking occurring here. Furthermore, the cherry-picking defense, even when plausible, has never been accepted when it comes to racism. Don Imus, for example, has received widespread condemnation for very occasional statements that showed racial insensitivity. Trent Lott was condemned for one statement praising Strom Thurmond’s 1948 presidential campaign.
Obama appears to be playing a double game here, distancing himself from Wright without really denouncing him. It’s essentially the same game Obama (we now see) has been playing for years — cater to racist black nationalists at home while presenting himself as “post-racial” nationally.
Ah, but you see, according to the narrative, Reverend Wright can’t be a racist, because it’s not possible for blacks to be racist. Only the Man, with the power, can be a racist.
You know, this double game kind of reminds me of when Yasser Arafat would give one speech in English, talking about peace and negotiations with Israel, and then the very same day, give another one in Arabic, calling for the destruction of that nation and the death of the Jews. But in this case, the media doesn’t even have the excuse of not understanding the language.
[Update a few minutes later]
Another good point, from Mark Hemingway:
How many times has Obama used “judgment” as a cudgel against his opponents this campaign? Well, choosing someone to offer your family spiritual guidance that isn’t an anti-semite coddling, America-hating, race-baiting crazypants would appear to be a far easier decision than deciding whether to go to war. I anxiously await to see how Obama explains this aspect of his celebrated decision-making ability.
Don’t we all.
[Update a while later]
New readers who came via Instapundit might want to see my follow-on thoughts on Hillary teaching a horse to sing. Or just click on the main page in the link above, and check out the place in general. Anyway, welcome to all.