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The real problem was not Reverend Wright's beliefs on the "AIDS conspiracy" (there is a history of government experimentation on Black citizens, so while the AIDS conspiracy may itself be far-fetched, the suspicion is understandable), his praise of Farrakhan (whether or not white people think Mr. Farrakhan is scary, he does address fears and more suspicions which result from the four hundred years history of American race relations, and are understandable), and the American responsibility for terrorism against ourselves and allies (the word "blowback" applies, as any objective observation of our activities in the Middle East since the beginning of the Oil Age and particularly in the Cold War will attest).
The real problem was Reverend Wright's dismissal of Mr. Obama as "doing what a politician has to do", or reducing Mr. Obama to a mere "politician". He is a politician, of course, and that will become more obvious and clear the closer we get to November. Whether or not he is more remains to be seen.
Mr. Obama was to be applauded for his reluctance to toss aside the man who performed his marriage, baptized his children and led the church wherein Mr. Obama felt he had found the purpose of life. That suggested he might be more than mere "politician".
Now political reality forces him, after the Reverend responded to Mr. Obama's extraordinary, if not totally unqualified, loyalty by bringing Mr. Obama back to earth, to more thoroughly denounce the Reverend, and rightly so, since the man he thought was his friend has proven to be anything but.
The Reverend and consequently Mr. Obama have reminded us that, whatever else to which he may aspire, Mr. Obama is a politician running for office. That will disappoint only the naive and easily disillusioned.
As for Mr. Krauthammer, his leap to attack Mr. Obama leaves him to explain what he would prefer; more of the last seven years? If so, then he is a fool as much as Mr. Bush himself, as well as his dwindling supporters. Of course he wants to keep the Reverend issue alive, while disregarding his candidate's own religionist supporters who call for (and pray for) genocide to cleanse the world of those unlike themselves so it will be a new paradise. I suspect Mr. Krauthammer will never utter a peep about those characters.
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