Democracy's Downside: Rev. Wright's Candor Turns off Narrow Minded Voters

Here's AOL's recount of selected reactions to the continuing presence of Rev. Wright:

Well, the reviews of Wright's latest show are coming in from all quarters. Here's a sampling, beginning with the man who has the most to win or lose by Wright's continued presence in the spotlight.

From Barack Obama: "Some of the comments that Rev. Wright has made offended me, and I understand why they offend the American people. He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign."

From Obama supporter, and Political Machine contributor Andrew Sullivan: But what he said today extemporaneously, the way in which he said it, the unrepentant manner in which he reiterated some of the most absurd and offensive views, his attempt to equate everything he believes with the black church as a whole, and his open public embrace of Farrakhan and hostility to Zionism, make any further defense of him impossible. This was a calculated, ugly, repulsive, vile display of arrogance, egotism, and self-regard... ...an outright attack on the stated beliefs and policies and values of Barack Obama in a secular setting.

Bob Herbert in The New York Times, writes:
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright went to Washington on Monday not to praise Barack Obama, but to bury him. Smiling, cracking corny jokes, mugging it up for the big-time news media--this reverend is never going away. He's found himself a national platform, and he's loving it......For Senator Obama, the re-emergence of Rev. Wright has been devastating. The senator has been trying desperately to bolster his standing with skeptical and even hostile white working-class voters. When the story line of the campaign shifts almost entirely to the race-in-your face antics of someone like Mr. Wright, Mr. Obama's chances can only suffer.

From The Washington Post comes Dana Milbank's assessment: Should it become necessary in the months from now to indentify the moment that doomed Obama's presidential aspirations, attention is likely to focus on the hour between nine and ten this morning at the National Press Club. It was then that Wright, Obama's longtime pastor, reignited a controversy about race from which Obama had only recently recovered--and added lighter fuel.

Turning to the Right, The National Review's Byron York chimes in with: Wright's performance not only left the Obama campaign scrambling to respond. It left some Democratic politicos, unattached to either the Obama or Clinton campaign, believing that Obama will have to abandon his vow, made last month in his Philadelphia speech on race, that "I can no more disown [Wright] than I can disown the black community."

The lead editorial in The Wall Street Journal similarly wants Obama to take a once-and-for-all stand on Wright: Early in this campaign, Senator Obama earned support from many voters with the notion that he wanted to transcend racial politics. Rev. Wright is exacerbating them in a way not seen in recent years. Barack Obama cannot remain on both sides of this. He has to make a decision. He is not running for national Mediator. He is running for President. In time, that job brings tough decisions. He's there now.There are an intrepid few, however, who feel that more Wright exposure might actually help Obama.

Slate's Christopher Beam: Needless to say, this isn't exactly the Obama campaign's dream. From their perspective, any attention on Wright is bad. Obama has been struggling to win over working-class white voters--the last thing he needs is a media-driven refresher on his greatest liability. And indeed, Wright's comeback may hurt Obama. But in the long run, it's likely to help the candidate more than hurt him.

The final point by Beam is telling. Obama is getting a chance to show how a leader manages controversy and keeps it in perspective for the vast majority of history challenged citizens.