I had wondered when Obama’s association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. would bite him in the butt. Over the last few weeks, I would say that the butt has been pretty well bitten. Over that time, Obama offered up a week explanation, accepted Wright’s resignation from his campaign, and did little to make me understand his close association with someone who had made baldly anti-American statements from the pulpit.

Today’s speech did little to make me feel better about his candidacy.

I understand that Obama may admire things about Rev. Wright that the rest of us can’t see, especially in the selected quotes that have been in circulation. Everyone has friends and relatives that wouldn’t make muster if some of the things that they’ve said were circulated in the media; but most of us wouldn’t give them a position as an advisor (even a spiritual advisor) in our campaigns and many of us wouldn’t stay in a church where we were strongly opposed to the preacher’s statements. I have left a church for less than “God damn America”, I’ve refused to attend another church where I felt that the pastor was being overly political, and I’ve walked out of a church for what I considered to be offensive commercialism.

Any expectations of perfection from the pulpit are misplaced, of course, but a line has to be drawn somewhere that says, “This is wrong.” Wright crossed that line so many times that it would be hard to accept that the people who stayed in the seats at least somewhat shared those opinions. These weren’t mildly offensive things; these were completely reprehensible.

So, no, his speech wasn’t enough to explain that all away, at least not to me.

Of course, it won’t matter to Obama that he hasn’t convinced me. I wasn’t his target audience.

I am an avowed Republican, religious but not overtly so, and already leaning heavily toward John McCain. Obama was aiming this speech at the people in his boat who were edging toward the railing--he was aiming to give them a reason to feel good about his candidacy again and a reason to come back on board. Whether he reached those folks, I have no idea.

You guys?

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