The inevitable has occurred. Barack Obama has taken to the virtual pages of the Huffington Post, attempting to distance himself from the Meshugenah Minister in a more muscular manner:
"All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country… And while Rev. Wright's statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States."
Reverend Wright has resigned from the Obama campaign.
Here's the problem for Obama- Revered Wright isn't some old dishrag that can be tossed aside with the pro-forma "Sorry if I said anything that caused offense" standby and a hurried resignation. (Think of Geraldine Ferraro's exit from the Clinton campaign, not that I'm comparing Rep. Ferraro to an old dishrag or anything.)
Look again at the last words of Obama's statement. He wishes to be judged on his "values, judgment and experience." Problem is, Obama doesn't have any real record on "values, judgment and experience" as a public figure. Are we supposed to judge him on the values he showed during his three inconsequential years as a U.S. Senator? Has he shown any noteworthy judgment as a Senator that we need to be aware of? Or did his opposition to the Iraq War five years ago as an Illinois state legislator tell us everything we need to know about him? If that's the case, maybe some of those Code Pink types from Berkeley should have tossed their hats into the ring.
There is some good news for Obama. America will indeed judge him on his values and judgment. But there's bad news, too: To get a picture of his values and his judgment, voters will need to look at his personal life. There's not enough in Obama's public life to form an informed opinion of the man.
And that's why this issue has Obama, his supporters and his campaign so rattled. He did show "judgment" in having such a cozy relationship with an America-loathing hatemonger for two decades - atrocious judgment. And the inferences one can make regarding Obama's "values" from his relationship with Reverend Wright are a lot more likely to move voters away from Obama rather than towards him.
This one can't be spun. It will leave a mark. That's probably why the Obama campaign opted to address the matter in relative obscurity, penning an essay for the Huffington Post (rather than say the New York Times) at 4:30 on a Friday and then doing a mini-media tour of the cable news nets on a Friday night. Obama knows that when it comes to this matter, no matter what he sells, a lot of voters won't buy it.
