Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Barack Obama done in by a Pat Robertson Wannabe
Who would have thought a few months ago that Barack Obama's downfall would result from his failure to foresee the dangers of close association with an egotistic black pastor. His allegiance to the pastor of his church, perhaps his inherent decency, prevented Obama from putting distance between himself and his pastor even after publication of Reverend Wright's sermons made many of his supporters wince. The reverend has strong views, some are questionable. Watching video clips of his appearance before the National Press Club on April 28th and at other venues one thing that sticks out is that the reverend loves to hear himself talk. There was no stopping him. The impact of his statements on Senator Obama's campaign was the last thing on Jeremiah Wright's mind. He was No.1. He was center stage. He gloated; he lapped it up. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia speech helped Obama salvage some damage, but not enough. The reverend wanted to continue to bask in the limelight and took a page from the playbook of another reverend who bloviates, Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson's lunatic statements earned him a lot of media coverage at one time. Reverend Wright got attention too....in spades. A quiet retirement? Not for them.
At long last Obama spoke out on Tuesday (April 29th) and left no doubt about the parting of company with Reverend Wright. However, the reverend has caused tremendous harm. The pendulum has swung. Of course, things can happen between now and the convention to change the picture especially if voters decide that issues, not personalities, matter most. It is Hillary Clinton whose numbers show impressive gains in recent days. In her case, it was Bill Clinton who needed muzzling. Unless she fumbles she could end up winning the prize.
*****
