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Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:00 AM

Why the Jeremiah Wright story deserves more attention

Some problem-plagued nations could ill afford to devote so much time and energy to a matter of this sort. Thankfully, the U.S. isn't one of them.

The letters thread is now closed.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:42 PM

Re: McCain full of crap

Glenn,

Of course, when the media point out that McCain or Clinton is full of crap, it's OK to broadcast that 24/7.

When exactly do they do that with regard to McCain?

-- GlennGreenwald

  • He was against the Bush tax cuts before he was for them
  • He was against agents of intolerance before he was for them, before he was against some of them, but not actually rejecting their endorsement
  • He was for leaving the GOP before he was against it
  • He was against Rumsfeld but pro-Bush
  • He was against torture, but for not doing anything about it
  • He was for immigration reform, before he was for new-and-improved immigration reform
  • He's for staying in Iraq indefinitely, strengthening the military and for fiscal responsibility
  • Now we learn he's against staying in Iraq indefinitely (comparable to Germany, Japan, Korea) and now he's for it

As much as I'd like to take credit for breaking these stories, sadly, I can't.

If you're point is that the media pull their punches on McCain, I agree, but until recently, they haven't exactly been raking Obama over the coals.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:45 PM

Broad

Draw that broad a definition. I prefer a more narrow definition otherwise we are all racists and hatemongers. If you recognize that there are biological differences between men and women. Does that make you prejudiced? There are cultural differences between blacks and whites, even American blacks. There has been academic documentation of this fact. I think that may be what Wright was getting at. Like I said, he's no social scientist.

After Emancipation, unique African American traditions continued to flourish, as distinctive traditions or radical innovations in music, art, literature, religion, cuisine, and other fields. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans of the Diaspora. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana.

African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of the persistence of racial discrimination in America, as well as African Americans' desire to maintain their own traditions. Consequently, African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct cultural body.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_culture

He wasn't agreeing with Charles Murray, I can tell you that.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:47 PM

Green Bob:

If you're [sic] point is that the media pull their punches on McCain, I agree, but until recently, they haven't exactly been raking Obama over the coals.

The implication being that their alleged restraint justifies every manner of petty, meaningless excess in now relentlessly assailing him for an inconsequential matter?

If that's the standard, then every spoiled child deserves to be shot in the face by his father when he becomes an adult.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:47 PM

Wow

Been away for awhile, but, wow, the idiocy has really been dialed up lately.

Does a subscription to Salon get you free deliveries of insanity water, or what? I'll stick with the free pass, thank you.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:48 PM

Moosenicity

Sorry, Derbig, I meant quickness of mind, not ethnicity, religion, nationality, party affiliation, etc. The persuasion part was a malapropism. I just warn't thinking about how it's been used in the past. Apologies. And no, I'm not moosish; I just like the jokes.

A moosish friend of mine once said to me, à propos some right-wing pro-Israeli non-sequitur from one of the usual suspects: I remember a day when you could be reasonably sure, if you saw a Jew carrying a violin case, that there was a violin in it. I thought to myself Meyer Lansky, Jake Guzik, but it was such a great line that I kept quiet. (And yeah, I know they say that Guzik never carried a gun, but c'mon....)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:50 PM

Green "Bob"

Sorry, should have been Green "Job."

What is that, something you can get in a bad part of the woods for $30?

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:52 PM

HornetDriver

Does a subscription to Salon get you free deliveries of insanity water, or what? I'll stick with the free pass, thank you.

Good thing, because you've obviously had too much already.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:58 PM

@DCLaw

What is that, something you can get in a bad part of the woods for $30?

Yeah, but it's the environmentally kind.

Also, great blog.

Also, that bit about focusing on the mongoose was quite nice. Can I steal that?

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 05:58 PM

correction

environmentally FRIENDLY kind.

way to ruin a joke, I know

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 06:01 PM

Hornet Driver:

Wow

Been away for awhile, but, wow, the idiocy has really been dialed up lately.

-- HornetDriver

According to your archive you've been away for all of two days. Wow, such self control.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 06:02 PM

Histerical. Laugh. Out. Loud.

Glenn, I've chuckled over your writing sometimes when you get going into a good lather, but this is simply outstanding.

I was laughing out loud by the second sentence.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 06:02 PM

You left a flip flop out...

He's for staying in Iraq indefinitely, strengthening the military and for fiscal responsibility

He was for getting out of Iraq before he was for staying forever.

McCain Strongly Rejected Long-Term Iraq Presence: "Bring Them All Home"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/28/mccain-strongly-rejected_n_99082.html

Eject! Eject! Eject!

Hornet in your Bonnet,

I think it's the flouridation in the water. It was a commie plot, yanno.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 06:06 PM

I mean really

What is Dancing With The Stars and American Idol all about?

It's about making fun of the way many people dance and sing, especially white people. That Tucker Carlson was one serious hoofer.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 06:14 PM

Re: Obama & Pandering

To whom has Obama pandered? Please explain.

-- Baldie McEagle

His health care plan will be affordable for everyone, and everyone will sign-up for it.

His ad stating that he doesn't take money from oil companies

His littering South Carolina with brochures about what a committed Cbristian he is - see http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/images/2008-01-21_obama_faith_2.jpg (as was discussed by Glenn here: http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/21/obama/)

His constant insistence that he doesn't engage in negative attacks while sending out Harry & Louise fliers.

And now today's crap about how he may not know Wright as well as he thought.

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