I mean, look at the damage done by white nationalists and right-wing fundies to the campaign of ... um, what's-his-name ... the son of George Bush who ran for president in 2000. (Not Jeb, the other one.)

Not that he would've had much of a chance anyway, given how totally unqualified he was, but the people he associated with were political poison.

I can live with them just as well as I can vote for him - and I will.

Obama is not unique. Capitol Hill has enough people there who can probably be counted on to have some off people in their own lives. I think that the main point is that regardless of where Obama came from, where he's going isn't likely to be pleasing to his "crazy uncles" or his current supporters. Being the president of the United States requires more than community values or home church schooling. Now Clinton couldn't keep his zipper shut and Bush was, is and always will be dumb. As for Obama's chances, who knows?

I was not quite sure whether the "anti-American cult" designation for the United Church of Christ was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I certainly hope so. A couple of other things that must be made clear. There is no doctrinal discipline in the UCC as there is in hierarchical churches like Roman Catholicism. It should not be assumed that Rev. Wright speaks for the UCC or that the UCC approves his words. Also "Trinity United" is not a logical short form of the church's name. "United" is attached to United Church of Christ, not to Trinity. An appropriate short form would be "Trinity UCC". Anybody who is interested in learning more about the denomination should visit www.ucc.org.

Obama's obviously way too smart to actually agree with any of the stuff that Wright says. So why did he have to lie about what he knew? The idea that when Obama went to Trinity all he heard Wright talk about was Jesus, family, and helping the poor is absurd. I thought Obama was supposed to be some new kind of politician. Instead, he comes up with the most Clintonian statement since "it depends on what the meaning of is is" - namely that "the statements that are the source of this controversy were not ones that I heard while seated in the pews". In other words, his staffers checked to make sure that he was elsewhere on the dates that Wright delivered the sermons we've seen on TV. But who cares? Surely there were other sermons with similar content that Obama was there for, and surely he got wind of some of the things Wright had said on the occasions he wasn't in church. I just find it disappointing.

The Alice Palmer mentioned in this column was not incidental to Obama's career. As one of his earliest political mentors, Palmer Palmer helped Obama get his start in politics on Chicago's South Side. How did he repay her? By playing hardball when she decided to once again run for her seat in the IL state senate, after Obama had already entered the race. Palmer asked him to reconsider, but his answer was pretty much, "No way, out of my way."

When a Chicago newspaper asked Obama last year (I believe) about his subsequent relations with Alice Palmer, he said he hadn't been in touch with her since 1996.

Anyone on Salon ever heard of Milton Friedman?

Anyone ever BEEN to Hyde Park? Or looked at a demographic map?

Hyde Park is a 90% white island in the middle of the South Side, much like Columbia University.

It may be liberal, but the Chicago School of economists is the home of libertarian free market economics.

It is socially liberal, but fiscally conservative, and therefore as right-wing as it gets.

I have great admiration for Obama.

He obviously learned the Rev Wright's oratory skills, without any of the rest of the Rev's attributes rubbing off on him.

He has also apparently picked up many other skills that has served him well in his march to the ultimate prize, undoubtedly from the characters he has interacted with throughout his life.

Let's see if his speech tomorrow sets him apart from the rest of the politicians in Washington, that sorry lot above whom he has placed himself.

If he can pull this one off, he is truly the anointed one, the politician "par excellence", who can selectively picked up and discard attributes at will.

All you Democrat ideologues - he is truly your man, you deserve each other.

Valid points, which also point out that Wright does not speak for Obama. Obama speaks for Obama.

All of Obama past friednds make me like him even more. A good progressive.

As far as United Church of Christ it is a protestant church, formed from three main line protestant churches. In fact I live in an upscale white neighborhood in silicon valley and our local community church is a United Church of Christ. Yes they are liberal. The church practices the true principles of Christ's teachings: social justice, peace, civil liberties. They support reproductive rights, gays rights and welcome all to their church.

Ther church is about community, just like Rev. White's church.

and i wouldn't count on that

If Barack Obama joined the church for political reasons it proves what many of us already know: He's an opportunist and a dishonest empty suit who doesn't stand for anything and demonstrates poor political judgment.

If he joined it out of conviction and agreement, he's something else: a radical and a lunatic with poor moral judgment.

Either way, the fact that Obama belonged to this church for 20 years proves BO's judgment is poor.

Oh lord save us all -- Obama is giving another speech tomorrow...I will pass on yet another Obama opportunity to use oratorical skills to make the country swoon at his feet while he lies the living crap out of us all.

Uh oh -- he's in trouble -- and it's not from Clinton this time -- or the Republicans...this one (along with NAFTA, lying about the nuclear leak bill, Rezko, etc) he did all by himself...so what now? Hurry, hurry give a speech -- that's it -- that'll make them all drown in the kool-ade of it all and forget what is really going on.

Not only does this guy not know his butt from his head on any issue..not only did he NOT not vote for the war -- but claimed he didn't know how he would have voted if he had been in the Senate then, not only did he say (check it out on youtube -- astounding!) that he doesn't have the qualifications for the job of president so he wouldn't be running...he lies about anything that comes his way -- all the while portraying himself as our first black jesus in office.

He is slimier than all of them for the reason that he says he isn't. He is a politician through and through -- and people will eventually know this -- either in the primary, the general or in the White House -- I don't know which. I will not vote for him -- and wouldn't vote for him if he were the last half black, racist, pathetic, lying candidate on earth.