Have you forgotten how they made a war hero a craven coward and a craven coward a president? This time they have actual footage to work with.

... And here Hillary Clinton's campaign is trying to convince the 14 million people who voted for Obama out of a sense of hope and desire for unity that they're all a bunch of naive dreamers whose fondest hopes can never be realized, so you settle for the scandal-ridden, critically flawed candidate who won't even vote against a pre-emptive, ruinous war... but at least she's been "vetted." Indeed, it seems like cynical manipulative political campaigns will try and convince you that up is down.

The vast majority of the public will never see this speech, never hear it, and sure as hell never read it. Instead, they will get it sliced and diced by the media people. If the media like the speech (and how could they not? Hillary didn't make it), they will see to it that it's presented to the public in such a way that they will like it. Already most of the headlines I see on the speech disappear Wright -- disappear the reason the speech was made in the first place -- in favor of presenting it as just some speech on race relations. NPR: "Obama Speech Addresses Racial Divide" Boston Globe: "Obama Speech Goes Past Generalities On Race" BBC: "Obama says US cannot ignore race".

It's an excellent, grownup speech, of the kind I've wanted to hear from Obama from the start of his campaign, but in the end that hardly matters. What matters is that Obama could count on the speech being reported to the public in such a way that they will see it as grownup. And that's something he may or may not be able to count on in a few months, if he wins the nomination. We won't know until then just how much Obama really trusts the public.

..is like having faith that a cretinous child will grow up to be an accountant.

For it seems on nearly every issue sides have already been taken and it becomes for or against without much deliberation.

I cannot imagine anyone taking too seriously what Wright said compared to what the likes of Hagee and Robertson and Falwell have been saying over the years unless they already think the same way. I ignore it. It is hard to ignore a rational discussion however, especially when all the fear mongering is absent. This sspeech reminds me of the 'speeches' or rather discussions that Robert Kennedy would have with interviewers which were filled with possibilities and visions. Obama's only mistake was not having the press catered with home made barbecue, fishing, swimming, live music and fun games with patronizing political stars that the press has become accustomed to with McCain. The 'mark' of Cain is so obvious that, like Bush in the beginning, McCain can bungle his speeches, mix up his information and even forget what he's talking about or the point he was trying to make and still get rated by the press as being a straight talking maverick. So imagine how such a press could not even begin to understand how to respond to someone like Obama. Obama supporters will now try to have him sainted because of this speech while ignoring that he is still not that progressive and remains a conservative democrat who still allows the profiteers into our health care and our foreign policy.

Obama is damaged goods

-- walterx2

Why didn't you just say so?

The shit will really hit the fan in the general election when the republicans and their 527's start to hit on this 24/7. His speech will do little against the onslaught of negative ads.

Have you forgotten how they made a war hero a craven coward and a craven coward a president? This time they have actual footage to work with.

It is important to put a democrat in the White House this year.

Obama is damaged goods

Don't forget he didn't flinch when that woman in South Carolina referred to Hillary as "The Bitch".

He also sang the "Bomb-bomb-bomb Iran song.

He's a kook.

HE WILL BE FOUR MORE YEARS OF BUSH/CHENEY NEOCON POLICY.

I have no doubt.

Thus spake Elephant: "If Salon wanted a moderate, it would have supported people like Joe Lieberman and John McCain."

My Cheerios nearly went up my nose over that one. Very funny stuff. You really had me going till then, Elephantdude. Keep it up.

walterx2

I believe you nailed it!!!

-- odog11

If you two think that Rove and others like him are greater and smarter than Gawd, and that the Republicans and Bush, who happen to be both as popular as a family of skunks at a picnic, and that you both think that the American people really are dumber than bags of hammers, well then, McCain it is. Otherwise, I don't think so.

Salon readers don't want a 'unifying' figure any more than they want a 'moderate.' If Salon wanted a moderate, it would have supported people like Joe Lieberman and John McCain.

And there it is. Bah-dump!

With Goldwater and Humphrey together on McNeil Lehrer (probably).

They both said that they didn't really disagree on many basic issues at all any more.

Sometimes when close to the end of life, some people wax reflective (think Atwater).

..the symphony of flatulence has transformed from mice into pachyderms. Sorta like going from flutes to tubas.....

The left isn't about policy disagreements anymore. It is about the criminalization of its opponents.

If the Republican policies hadn't led so consistently to criminal actions then we wouldn't be having these disagreements.

dana K. - well said.

Obama has earned my respect by not divorcing himself from Wright. A lot of people will see this as his major error in this speech, but I see it as the only honorable choice. As he said, Wright has

"been like family" to him. The fact that he's sticking with Wright rather than throwing him under the bus shows me that he has principles AND the potential to really change this country. After all, he's put formerly taboo/boring topics like institutional racism, redlining, black anger, white resentment, etc. on the MSM's map.

I have never heard a politician say so many things in a row that did NOT cause me to snort and roll my eyes in cynical frustration.