Damage Control

Damage Control

“No, no, no not God Bless America, God damn America.” – Rev. Jeremiah Wright

Obama’s candidacy lies in the balance of what he says today.

Not necessarily just in the primary season either, but what lies before him if he’s the Democratic nominee.

Senator Obama has not defined himself completely for the American voter, but what he has filled in is the antithesis of what you see from Rev. Jeremiah Wright who has been Obama’s spiritual mentor for twenty years.

A lot of emails streaming in, which have been educational for me on what Wright has shaken loose. But the situation Obama faces is easy to run down. First, people just don’t understand Obama’s church, that’s clear, and this goes for some African Americans too, but especially for many whites who go to church every Sunday. People don’t understand the speech Wright gave so soon after 9/11 blaming America for the tragedy, going all the way back to President Harry Truman. That message, but more importantly, the absence of healing and reconciliation, as well as the vitriol targeting this country and divisions that goes back decades alarms people. That Wright stands as a contradiction to everything Obama has stood for in the primary season is why Obama is giving this speech today.

This is a first step on a long road for Senator Obama. It’s the beginning of a challenge for him, not the ending.

But in the end, one question still may remain no matter what Senator Obama says today: Will the voters forgive Senator Obama for remaining so close with someone who so obviously is preaching a message of division on one of the most contentious issues in American politics? One speech won’t be enough to answer that question, or make people trust Senator Obama with the biggest job in the world.