One More Thought on Obama, Wright & Wrong

I've posted the toon above because it neatly encapsulates an argument I've heard from various Obama apologists, namely that Barack's association with Pastor Wright is no more odious than John McCain's receiving the endorsement from Rev. John Hagee. It's a nice try at moral equivalence, but it's just not true.

To put it simply: There is a big difference between receiving someone's endorsement and giving someone your own. And it was Hagee who endorsed McCain -- not the other way around.

If Obama had simply received the endorsement of Rev. Wright, this would be a non-issue -- you can't control who likes you, and no cause is so noble that it won't attract bad people. This is why few people much care that Louis Farrakhan has endorsed Obama, even though Farrakhan's views make Wright's look positively mild.

But because Obama has held Wright out as a spiritual and political mentor, Wright's intemperate views are relevant. They suggest that even though Obama might not share these views, he is all too accommodating and comfortable with them. As I noted earlier, this is not just a friendship, but a religious/ideological connection. Certainly it tells us something about what Obama thinks, even if the meaning of that something is in dispute.

Meanwhile, that some crazy likes McCain tells us very little about McCain -- and it's hardly something for which the Arizona senator need apologize.