Hi, lateagain, I responded to your friend who lamented my limited intellectual capacity. Thanks for piling on. Just one thing: in the future, do you think I ought to reply to people who post about my "limited intellectual capacity?" And other similar insults? Is that what you would like to discuss? I've written multiple blog posts and more than a dozen posts in these letter threads on Rev. Wright. I've made my thoughts really clear. You can't accuse me of ducking questions about him. This has entered the realm of silliness. I will go back and read Uncle Fester and enjoy my weekend. Please enjoy yours!

kenkapkk, thank you for your very thoughtful response. I'll go back and read it again and try to find time for a real answer. I do appreciate your having gone back and read my letters. I am struck by the fact that so many people don't do that, let alone go back in my 10-year Salon archive, or even, beyond that, to see what else I've written on these issues. Now, that might seem arrogant and self-centered, but I really don't mean it that way. I write knowing personally just how much I've already written about all of this -- and again, you and others may disagree with me, on Wright, and on some of my reservations about Obama -- and of course I have some slightly unconscious, pretty irrational expectation that someone would know more about me before they started "ranting." Let's not even talk about the people who've insulted me personally; I'm talking about thoughtful and basically kind people, who've nonetheless blasted me first, and then (in some cases, like yours) gone back and read my letters, read other pieces, and come to appreciate that I bring a lot of passion and (I hope) integrity to the issues I write about.

I'm open to advice about how I somehow telegraph my longer history and deeper understanding in the blog, so there isn't a disconnect between the voice you find compelling in my letters and the voice you find off-putting in the actual blog posts. Maybe the fact that it's a blog is part of the problem. But even in longer posts, like my two posts on Wright (and many, many letters in those threads), people seem to project an awful lot onto me.

Also: I'm enjoying getting credit for participating here. I think I asked for it in a moment of self-pity a few posts back. But I should also say I do it because I enjoy it and I learn a lot from a lot of you. Thanks for your feedback!

AKA Smith, thank you for that. I was going to insist I was taking George Clooney to doloresflower's Obama party, but I'll let you have him. I'm trying to decide between Bruce Springsteen and Stephen Colbert.

Thanks as always to lateagain and doloresflower, too. You've all given me a lot more to think about.