Let's remember for a moment that we have now seen at least 2 iterations of so-called "supply side" or "trickle down" economic theory. Both under presidents named George Bush. President Reagan's idea to essentially trust the market started the great greed rush of the 1980s with Mergers and Acquisitions becoming a whole new kind of science. But very few looked at the tragic human cost in lost jobs and livelihoods. As long as shareholder value increased, everyone would be better off, right? Then, Reagan's hand-picked successor continued those policies to rather devastating effect in the early `90s. Now, in the first decade of the 21st century, this disastrous idea has come full circle. Same result. Runaway deficits. Crack-head accounting. Unequal wealth distribution and a culture of leveraged and therefore artificial prosperity with nothing to prop it up in terms of actual wealth creation and stability at the bottom. This is a Jenga economy.

I don't think much of Ben Bernanke, mostly because he was picked by the current Bush iteration, but if he can pull off this save, maybe President Obama or Rodham-Clinton might consider letting him stay on. Or not.

In fact, if the latest story out about 3 unknown contract State Dept. employees accessing Obama's files gathers steam, which it appears to be, Rev. Wright's comments will fade quickly enough. Just to hopefully put some closure on this, let's look at the whole messy affair. Barack Obama was introduced to his Christian faith by this man, Jeremiah Wright.

He joins this church for reasons that he explained in a biography he wrote called "Dreams from My Father." He stays involved for 20 years, gets married in this church, has children that are baptized in this church by this pastor. This pastor makes remarks that would make anyone cringe and quite obviously cross the line of civil discourse, to the degree that we can still participate in that anymore. As Obama's run for the White House accelerates, this man's comments are unveiled without any sort of context to an electorate that still seems to prefer things explained in sound bites and analyzed by people in the media who have no experience with the kind of systematic, legalized, and enforced discrimination, exclusion and even murder of people of color Wright rails, obviously in heated fashion, against. Obama knows that this could be a problem for his campaign, and moves to address it in perhaps the most noble fashion anyone has yet come up with: a speech that confronts the issues head-on, the anger many black people feel and felt, as well as the resentment many white people feel at being tagged with crimes committed by people who are generations removed from this time. He essentially says that both sides have a point: the times have changed, and yet they haven't, and it's time to put aside the knee-jerk reactions and try to reach a level of understanding that allows us to collectively use the political process to solve some really big problems. Problems that are actually bigger.

There's been speculation that this will hurt Obama in the general election. My thought is that if he survives this test, and uses it to drive home the point that while everyone is focused on a now retired minister, we have a war that is affecting our lives on a day to day basis, and a Republican candidate who would very much like to continue the disastrous policies of an incompetent and criminal administration for FOUR MORE YEARS, Obama will win the nomination and the White House handily. Just look at what the GOP is offering: more incompetence, more corruption, more war, MORE STUPIDITY and racing to beat everyone else to the bottom. Leave aside an economy that ISN'T WORKING. Even for the fat cats at Bear Stearns and Citigroup.

I'm so sick and tired of this constant asking about how the stupid people will react. I don't know. Stupidly, I guess! This is the wrong question and the wrong focus. Instead of being concerned with the vote of stupid people, why don't we just STOP BEING STUPID and make the most of this opportunity to start healing and moving forward? A candidate for the Office of President of the United States just showed leadership and took the high road. How and when did that become irrelevant?