I think I will only make a quick statement about Eliot Spitzer. Why did Bill Clinton survive his lady problem and Spitzer did not? You gotta have supporters in politics to survive a scandal. Spitzer learned that NOBODY liked him. Now he has to face the music at home, and he will have to rethink the decisions he made within the context of the the public trust he had been given and the laws he was supposed to enforce. These are the consequences he will be contemplating for years to come.
Now to the issue at hand. Actually, I came home several days ago. I wrote different drafts on the "Obama/preacher/race" issue at hand. I kept deciding not to post them. Why? Ah...good question, and it goes to the heart of what Obama chose not to acknowledge.
No one would question that today's society in these United States remains more divided along racial lines than it should. Of course, that has always fallen to the default position that once again the white-majority power base is not doing either enough or the right thing to fix this aged wound. My drafts were arguments contrary to that accepted orthodoxy. And I kept backing off from them. Again, why?
Because it was HERESY. A record like that would be a permanent stain on my future. Whether it was a political future (I don't seek one) or professional (who knows what the future could hold), today's Google-searching world makes one realize that every public (and perhaps some private) actions of an individual can be before the billions alive today in a heartbeat. Ask Obama, as we see the X millionth replay of the Youtube videos of the reverend from his Chicago church.
Once branded a heretic today, there is likely no absolution other than abject apologies and public repentance for your sins. But what if you KNOW you are right? It makes no difference, the world of higher education today has made sure that heretics who don't subscribe to the doctrine of white oppression, moral relativism, and American foreign policy evils should be "burned at the stake" to purify our national soul. Notice the silence coming from the McCain campaign on these issues? Boy, is he glad he is out of the country right now. I'll bet he never thought he'd be so glad that Iraq is still in the news; it justifies him focusing on that hot button issue and gives cover to his silence on the racial one.
It's been a re-education watching HBO's landmark series on American Founding Father John Adams. Everytime you think popular culture has no redeeming value, we surprise ourselves with what we are capable of doing with our money, talents, and high ideals. While only two episodes have been released so far, it didn't take more than a few minutes of the first episode to be reminded of how we SHOULD be approaching these kinds of thorny questions.
Adams is a struggling lawyer in 1770 Boston. His cousin is a leader of the radical faction known as The Sons of Liberty. A squad of British troops is on trial for murder in what we today know as the Boston Massacre. Adams is asked to defend the captain against the charge that he ordered the troops to fire on an unruly mob killing several citizens. The politically wise decision would have been to do what every other lawyer had done: take a pass on the case. Adams sees that the issue is whether we are a land ruled by men, or ruled by laws; a morally courageous view that will make his voice more honored by his countrymen in years to come.
The only moral equivalence that Adams offers at trial is that a nation that feels wronged to be taxed without representation cannot also deny certain men the protection of their rights because of political differences: the law must be applied equally to all.
In April of 2007 Barack Obama called for the dismissal of shock jock Don Imus over some stupid racially insensitive remarks made off the cuff on his radio show. Obama said at the time
"I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus," Obama told ABC News, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude."Well, the Reverend Wright was part of Obama's campaign. He took his family to hear him on Sunday for 20 years. He gave him thousands of dollars. But today, he wants us to understand the fevered conspiracy theories and hate speech of a reverend's words written for effect and sold on DVDs for distribution to the widest audience. (The church's website has been scrubbed in the past few days)He took his children to hear from a man who accused the CIA of creating AIDS to kill blacks, called this country the "US of KKKA", and referred to the black Secretary of State as "Condaskeeza Rice." (definition of "skeeze") If we had substituted black for white, and vice versa, in the reverend's speeches, would we be getting a explanation from Obama or condemnation of the sort that Mr. Imus received? I fear I know the answer to that one.
It has been the great value of our open society to read a vast array of opinion and commentary over the last several days on this issue. It has made me grateful over and over that men like John Adams risked all so that I could do so. I am going to link several, dear reader, for you to think and ponder over.
There is no question that Senator Obama is a talented and well-meaning individual. Undoubtably his speech on Tuesday inspired and brought tears to the eye of many on both sides. But questions remain over whether the civil rights leadership of today's African-American community have taken up the charge of Dr. King and his desire for his children to grow up in a "nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.". That was from Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech. One wag referred to Obama's effort as his "I have an excuse" speech. Ouch. Obama's actions will determine where he truly stands. He can start with some changes on his website. One of the blogs that was once linked on the Obama website was for the NBPP: the New Black Panther Party. Why is it no longer there? A simple explanation would speak volumes. Is he cleansing or laying low?
Anyway, here are the links...I thank you for your time. I would love to hear your comments.
Coach
A fellow historian whose most recent book on the Peloponnesian War and it's lessons for today is Victor Davis Hanson. He is also the author of the courageous Mexifornia. He has had several comments here, here, and here.
A couple examples of those who thought it was the speech of the century and likened it to people like Lincoln are here, here, and here.
Some thoughts on how it might play out politically here, here, and here.
An article with some deeper cultural questions that jumped out at me is here.
Quickly, it is 5 years since the Iraq invasion and both sides have their big guns out. Ralph Peters has been hawk, then dove, then hawk. And as a military man, I appreciate his strategic open-box thinking. His latest thoughts are here.
I'll be back soon, and returning to more straight political analysis in the days ahead. I thank you for your forbearance.
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