We can only hope that this critically pertinent relationship is brought to light in the general election. As K says, Barrack chose him as a spiritual leader and that brings in to serious question his personal beliefs and decision making abilities.

How much of those inflammatory statements account for all of Rev. Wright's work? And do you throw out the good (Obama getting a rock-solid spiritual foundation) with the bad?

Dude, all the conservatives cozy up to reverend falwell.

Let's say that a white candidate attended a church that preached that America was damned by the scourge of black people. Would it matter why he was attracted to such a church?

McCain has been hanging out with Hagee. Muslims aren't black people, but Hagee's speech is as racist and incendiary as Wright's speech. The fact that conservatives are frothing at the mouth over Wright's beliefs and aren't screaming just as loud about Hagee's is rather telling.

*9/11 attacks were deserved by America

Falwell said the same thing. McCain gave a commencement speech in 2006 at Falwell's Liberty University.

The hypocrisy of Falwell's involvement with the GOP while conservatives scream about Wright is ridiculous.

If conservatives and the GOP want to ding Obama for what his minister has said in public, then they need to tend to their own house and evict Falwell and the rest of his ilk from their own party.

The electoral process is interesting to watch. You get to learn a great deal about a person. More importantly, you learn a great deal about what other people think this person is like. I personally have no opinion about Obama, Hilary or McCain. They are all crooks, and they all have their hidden agendas. Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

To get back to the point, it is unfair to criticize Obama for his spiritual leaders view. I think it would be better to criticize him that he has a spiritual leader at all, but that is besides the point. Those who have visited church on a regular basis know that people will never agree with everything their spiritual leader says. Its important to find a place where the overall message is good, the people are to your liking and the atmosphere is pleasant. I know nothing of Wright and have never listened to his sermons. I am sure that 99.9% of those criticizing have also never listened to a sermon outside of the offensive ones broadcasted on YouTube. Personally, I don't like what I have heard, but I highly doubt that Obama agrees with it either.

It is not Obama's spiritual leader's views, despicable that they are, which deserve criticism but rather Obama's decision to strongly associate himself with a man that believes them. Such a failing might be allowable if he were running for local office or, depending on the area, Congress (see Byrd, Robert for an example of this one).

However, Obama's running for _President_. To me, one of the biggest problems I have with some so-called conservatives is that, yes, they tend to hang around people who are about as Christian in action / word as Osama Bin Ladin. So, sorry Dawn, just like I think the conservatives who go to kill the ring of [insert Christian demagogue] are unfit to be President, I think a person who decides to associate with someone with Jeremiah Wright's views is known by the company that he keeps.

I'm not a big fan of racists regardless of their melanin content, and the fact that Wright seems to believe that "White America" is the great "other" keeping African-Americans down makes me sick. A person desiring to be President should have no associates whose views, if freely and widely expounded, would seem contrary to Chief Executive's role as leader of the American people. Ron Paul's failure to follow this simple rule (newsletters, anyone) is why he has as much chance as being President as you or I do--and Obama should be held to _exactly_ the same standard.

As my mother used to always say, "Yes, you have freedom of association, but that doesn't mean someone has to ignore the fact you run with idiots when considering you for a job." Obama is arguing for one of the most prestigious jobs in the world yet he is willing to be associated with someone who makes Al Sharpton look normal? Um, no, sorry, that should be the end of any Obama '08 talk. Of course, the fact that such an action would require the demolition of the Democratic Party is a bit problematic, but that's what the supers are there for, right?

Now pardon me while I go lay on some more food and water for the coming anarchy.

No, Pokerwolf, because there's a difference between what resident idiot Sharpton or Falwell say versus what one's personal spiritual leader, the one who married him and his wife, the one who baptized their children, the one he listened to week after week and never stormed out in protest, says.

Oh, and yes, I have long maintained that the GOP's association with men like Hagee is why the odds of me actually joining the Elephant Gang are about as likely as me becoming King of England.

The real problem is Obama has set himself up as some kind of race-healer and not the race-warrior he really is. That and the fact that he's been lying his ass off (badly) since this hit the media. It kinda makes him look like, you know, a liar.

Liberals have managed to make racism the super-numero-uno primo cardinal sin of our day. Well, Obama's an ardent follower of a racist. But hey, there's always Hillary.

No, Pokerwolf, because there's a difference between what resident idiot Sharpton or Falwell say versus what one's personal spiritual leader, the one who married him and his wife, the one who baptized their children, the one he listened to week after week and never stormed out in protest, says.

Where are the protests to what Falwell has said, Karol? That's my point. Where has Allahpundit decried what Hagee has said and McCain's association with him?

I'm not stating that Wright gets a pass, I'm stating that conservatives have people who are just as slanderous and vile in their ranks while they're screaming about how bad the people that Obama has chosen to bring into his life.

Do you not see the hypocrisy there?

Are conservatives giving Hagee a pass because he's talking about Muslims when Wright is talking about whites?

For example, I did a search on Hot Air for Hagee's name and the only thing that came back were two articles about McCain letting Obama off the hook about his involvement with Wright where Allah states:

In the case of Bill Ayres, or McCain vis-a-vis Hagee, you can attribute the tolerance for intolerance (”intolerance” in Ayres’s case meaning “attempted murder”) to craven political expedience.

Is it just me or does "tolerance because of political expedience" sound like an excuse there?

There shouldn't be any excuse for association with these sort of people ever. "Political expedience" or not. McCain's involvement with Falwell and Hagee should not be ignored or forgiven just like Obama's interaction with Wright.

Obama has issued a statement distancing himself from this guy, but McCain has not distanced himself from Mr. "Jews are disgusting" Hagee

Republicans can only hope and pray that liberals will continue to make the Hagee-McCain comparison.

It keeps the story alive and at the forefront.

Unfortunately for liberals, regular folks can clearly see the difference between some random preacher endorsing McCain, and Obama attending a black nationalist church headed by a clearly racist, anti-American preacher. Worse still, Obama holds this preacher in very high regard, to the point that Wright has been called his mentor and spiritual advisor.

For this reason I absolutely love the McCain-Hagee argument, or any other attempted equivocations with McCain.

And the denials and hemming and hawing coming from black leaders and Obama representatives, telling us we don't know the "context" of "God damn America" or the "U S of KKK A" garbage is priceless.

I'm pretty sure that the damage that this is doing to the Democratic party brand is pricless. Hillary hasn't come out and said anything on this either.

Republicans couldn't have asked for anything better than this.

Shawn, tell me what "work" Wright has done? There are plenty of his vitriolic, ranting "sermons" of hate now on Youtube. How do any of them glorify God, let alone gave Obama a "rock-solid spiritual foundation"? I didn't hear anything about Jesus' love, salvation, serving others, avoiding sin, or other things common to Christian sermons.

Now if you want to talk about "work," the Gospel of John tells us, "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

Who cares about what skin color Jesus had? I don't. His blood after being scourged and crucified was still red. What Jesus did is a spiritual issue to me, but ironically it's race-baiting black "ministers" like Wright who have to make it a racial issue. Doesn't he remember that God is no respector of persons?

Sean, you have THE point in all of this. Take note, bryan. McCain didn't choose Hagee's congregation, or choose Hagee as his spiritual advisor. McCain hasn't been going to Hagee's church for 20 years.

And take note too, Not Dawn. Which U.S. presidents attended Falwell's church or made Falwell a spiritual advisor? By the way, do you remember that McCain in the 2000 campaign called Falwell evil and intolerant, but Romney said after Falwell died that Falwell was a man who put his faith into action?

Whatever Falwell's faith was, it certainly wasn't Christianity. He was just a modern day Pharisee.

Do you not see the hypocrisy there?

First off, it's not hypocrisy, it's inconsistency (if even that).

And, the inconsistency is hardly limited to the right. The left wants us to believe that whenever a Republican shakes the hands of some religious conservative, that means he endorses everything he's ever said. But, when Obama has been going to this guy's church for 20 years and considers him a spiritual mentor, well, that doesn't mean he agrees with everything. Nothing to see here, move along...

Shawn, tell me what "work" Wright has done? There are plenty of his vitriolic, ranting "sermons" of hate now on Youtube. How do any of them glorify God, let alone gave Obama a "rock-solid spiritual foundation"? I didn't hear anything about Jesus' love, salvation, serving others, avoiding sin, or other things common to Christian sermons.

Well, I haven't seen those sermons and my original comment is, as far as this issue goes, pretty old. I've been racking my brain most of yesterday and today thinking about this issue. So I decided to break down in simple terms and I just don't see how Obama's message fits with Wright's.

Couple that with some of things Mrs. Obama has said and a pattern is starting to emerge, one that I don't like. Yes, Barack may be sincere in his speeches, but with those two folks influencing his thinking, now and in the past, I've gotten really gunshy.

Obama has issued a statement distancing himself from this guy, but McCain has not distanced himself from Mr. "Jews are disgusting" Hagee

"Distanced himself"? Yeah, sure. After twenty years of heavy involvement with Trinity, Obama has distanced himself by pretending he's deaf. Wonderful.