So McCain defends Obama on Wright, so does Huckabee, and Hillary attacks him? What's going on?

[Drachasor]

McCain:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0308/Driving_conservatives_crazy.html

Huckabee:
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/14948.html (article on that website gave me the idea for this post, and the above link).

And we all know about Hillary's attack.


It seems kinda crazy when the only one attacking the democratic Front-runner on this issue is another democrat. Heck, Hillary wasn't even defending him before when McCain and Huckabee were, she was just being quiet. Personally, I think it is highly disturbing that Hillary is seemingly incapable of taking the high road on this, leaving that road for the republican nominee and Huckabee (another republican). I thought we were better than that. I thought we were a party that looked deeper into this issues and didn't just write people off with little reason.

After all, these sorts of comments by Wright were extremely rare. They were also not characteristic of even the sermon they were given in. By and large he was a pretty normal pastor, well, as normal as you can be while being highly respected. Stating, incorrectly, that he gave hate speech and implying he regularly spat out hate speech is character assassination of the man, and seem at odds with the better points of the Democratic Party.

Doesn't this bother any of the Hillary supporters? Please speak up if it does, even if it only bothers you a little bit.

[flor de jasmim]

1. WE are better, but she is not - it's simply a distraction

Of course, it additionally leaves her more vulnerable regarding HER pastor (but so far she has been given a "pass" on that, relatively speaking). It's sad to see her in what I would call self-destruct mode, creating a whirlpool that she hopes will drag Obama down but is catching her in it as well.

[donheld]

2. She's making an ass of herself

but don't tell Hillary's fans around here. They think we hate her just cuz.

[johnnydrama]

3. don't forget

her pastor (or ex pastor) defended Wright too.

[Drachasor]

4. Not exactly, apparently

http://egghead.cc.trincoll.edu/weblogs/SpiritualPolitics/2008/03/hillary_at_the_plate_1.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/25/pastor-of-clintons-forme_n_93418.html

He wasn't the pastor when the Clintons were there.

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. Personally I would have preferred she stay quiet on it

Having said that I will add a few points. It could well be the truth. Oprah is said to once have been in that congregation and left it, and if true I have no idea if wanting to distance herself from some aspects of Wright's preaching could have factored into her leaving, given Oprah's national multi-racial "constituency", but it's plausible. Hillary likely would have left a congregation where the Pastor made some of the comments that Wright did. The fact that she is not black and doesn't share the same base line experiences as most of that congregation I am sure makes it easier for her to believe she would make that decision in those circumsances. She probably would not have grandstanded or made a lot of noise on the way out the door, but I suspect she would have quietly left - except since her life experience is so different than Obam's it would have been a much easier call for her to make.

Against McCain, if Obama is our nominee, the part of Wright's comments that will most keep resurfacing and be woven into an anti-Obama narrative will be his perceived "anti-American" comments more so than anything he said about race. For career purposes if nothing else, most national politicians would not stay in a Congregation where the preacher preached "God Damn America", and talked about 9/11 as chickens coming home to roost, assuming they knew he had those sentiments. This is a pretty leftist board, we take comments like that in stride, but Obama strongly distanced himself from those comments at least, even though he remains in that church.

As for McCain and Huckabee, they are both politicians who attempt to position themselves as "Good Cops" in the Republican Party in their personal appeal. Either one knows they would have had a battalion of "Bad Cops" working on their behalf as the Republican nominee. McCain might say one thing, but GOP operatives will clearly be saying another if Obama gets our nod. McCain in particular wants to appeal to Independents and some Democrats as not being one of those Republican "crazies" that this country is so fed up with. He might have been expressing his honest opinion but it was self serving for him to do so at this point.

P.S. I will be away from the keyboard now for much of the day.

[Drachasor]

7. Huckabee and McCain could have both maintained their image by keeping quiet

Huckabee especially. No one expected them to talk, even given their reputations.

And given McCain's history, it is fairly likely he'd speak out against people attacking Obama over Wright. Especially when Obama can point to McCain's defense of Obama. McCain is likely to undermine attacks on Obama over this.

[RBInMaine]

6. Because she is SLICK HILLY, and will say ANYTHING for power.