Example: I once heard a clergyman say: “in World War II, there was hardly any public debate on the morality of dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But had we dropped condoms on those cities, there would have been massive outrage.”

Do you know where I heard this? At a public lecture on morals at the U. S. Naval Academy; the clergyman was a Catholic priest and a Naval Captain (equivalent in rank to an Army Colonel. )

That was a controversial statement. But it wasn’t “over the top”.

2. Wright was an active mentor of Obama’s when he started his community organizer work; BHO was just out of Columbia University and he was told that he needed to find a spiritual home if he were to have any “street credibility.” So, his pastor “knew him when” and mentored him up.
Also remember that Obama’s father had left him when he was 2 years old.

3. I think that Obama did the right thing: “condemn the sin but not the sinner”. I am not a Christian, but isn’t that part of what Jesus of Nazareth preached?

4. Ok Andy, I’ll denounce and reject my former criticism and replace it with this one: if you think that the isolated injustices of affirmative action somehow are of the same magnitude and scope of the indignities and brutalities put on by legalized racism, then, well, “that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard from someone “not” named Souter”.

As far as the last point: no, I don’t think that Wright will hurt Obama in the long run; the general public tends to be forgiving when it comes to associations with psychotic ministers

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/18/11139/2312/916/479110

Besides, if the right wing continues to attack Wright, well, Wright isn’t running for anything. That is the lightening rod effect that worked for Bill Clinton in 1992 (when the RW went after Hillary to the point of leaving Bill alone).

You might find Dick Morris’ article interesting: he claims that Obama did what he needed to do. He is a bit more cynical (realistic?) than I am but I mostly agree with him.

http://www.newsmax.com/morris/Obama_Wright_Morris/2008/03/18/81439.html

1. Now he says he did know how controversial Wright was? Didn’t he say a week ago he would have walked out?
2. How, exactly, is the pastor of a huge church analogous to his grandmother. The latter is a private citizen and the former a leader.
3.Why can’t he repudiate Wright. You can’t choose your relatives but he chose Wright as his pastor, and later bragged about it.

Had he repudiated Wright, it would have hurt him among people like Ollie (and Daily Kos types) but by not doing so, I think he’s really hurt himself in the general election. You can defend what Wright said all you want (and arguing that Wright needs to be judged on his career, not a few clips is a good argument) but if he is identified with this kind of belief, he will lose in the general election.

X

PS A social retard? Ollie, coming from you, that really stings!

I think that many people don’t understand the religious left. True, I am an atheist but I am still nominally on the rolls of the local Unitarian Church. Much of what comes from the pulpit on such a church is based on social justice, and we are often critical of US social and foreign policy. Yes, some things are said that make me uncomfortable, but most of us don’t leave the church over 1-2 lines that appear in a sermon or two over a long period of time.

For example, “god damn the US of A” could have well been a condemnation of the US for not living up to its basic principles; right wing religious preachers do that all of the time, albeit for “sins” such as the acceptance of homosexuality. Why aren’t White Republicans held to account over these things?

Mitt Romney is active in a church that has racist ideas as an integral part of its sacred scripture (e. g., people with my skin color are viewed as being cursed by their deity). Up until the 1970’s, African American males weren’t even permitted to be fully active adult males in their wards (e. g., be lay priests, which most adult males are) and this was a supposed revelation from one of their “prophets” (Church President). Where was the condemnation of that?

As far as the Daily Kos goes: one can find tripe there, but one can find many other things too; you might try looking at “unitary moonbat’s” stuff or poblano’s stuff or even Darksyde’s stuff. But I really wasn’t talking about the Kos when I mentioned most of the blogs that I read as I consider that as a chat room of sorts.

I was thinking more about Cosmic Variance, The Edge of the American West, Anthropology.net, Good Math/Bad math, Biosingularity and the Richard Dawkins blog, and yes, even Dr. Andy’s blog (not updated in a long time). Dr. Andy is a dyed in the wool Republican who goes after me from time to time but I love him anyway.

BTW, I have the “complete set”: Born Losers, BJ, Trial of BJ, and yes, BJ goes to Washington. So, if I am a critic, at least I am a paying one.

Anyway, Mr. Loughlin, thanks for showing more class than I did. I feel a bit ashamed of myself now.

Sometimes those of us who aren’t famous forget that famous people are indeed real human beings, and thanks for taking the time to stop by.