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Originally Posted by powerclown
I guess it's open to individual interpretation as was mentioned earlier.
But I can't help think about a scenario where Obama is sitting in the front row of that church, with his wife and children, listening to that man preach, and what must be going though his mind. That calm, rational, measured, perfect public image - up against what he must be thinking and feeling inside as a human being. He sure doesn't seem like Pastor Wright in any outward way at all. And for the life of me I can't picture Obama whooping and hollering along with the rest of the congregation. It's all a bit surreal.
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Agreed on both points.
I do see that a large part of this whole affair is simply partisanship. Republicans and their ilk capitalizing on an issue that is (to my eyes) relatively minor but if talked up enough can do some serious damage. The same tactics are used again and again by both sides. This isn't new. Rove was a master at this sort of thing (even McCain felt the sting of it in the past).
However, I am wondering if some of the issues that we are all having with this discussion doesn't stem from our personal views on religion. Most of the people who appear to be shrugging off the connection between Wright and Obama are not religious. I for one find the whole need of a spiritual adviser and the need to wear your religious belief on your sleeve extremely weird. But then I am a Canadian and religion has largely been absent from our political discourse (until recently and even then, it's a side issue). In fact, I would say that I feel about religion in politics the same way that others here have suggested that politics doesn't belong in the mouths of their rabbis and ministers.
To the point, I don't place as much weight on a "spiritual adviser" as others do and wonder if that is the difference.
Of course it isn't that simple, there are many other factors at play, including the point about partisanship above and the massive elephant in the America's room, race.
I still feel that this whole affair is going to give Clinton the edge in the primaries. It has introduced much doubt into the voter's minds. I only hope his excellent speech on race and the issue of his "spiritual adviser" was enough to counter that doubt.