Glen,

As a country we fear and resist one thing above all others:

THE TRUTH

And J. Wright has a down right scary way of being truthful. So forget all temporal problems. What we must as a nation fight most fiercely is the truth.

Notice in all the massive wailing about his remarks, that almost no one actually, specifically, objects to the content? Rather notice indirect asides and allusions: How un-American? How-narcissistic? Why? Because actually discussing the content is just too scary. As a nation, this episode shows how mortally and morally weak and dishonest we really are.

I believe the Rev. Wright has much broader and longer lasting goals than seeing Obama become president. He is fighting to defend his life work. I applaud him. And frankly his intellect and achievements have not, so far, been matched by Barack Obama.

PS: Note for those who enjoy this sort of thing. Other people in need of hating: Ron Paul (terrorists attack because of our policies), Scott Ritter (No WMDs), Al Gore (global warming is a critical moral issue), Matt Simmons (we are really running out of oil). Many: (The Israeli lobby may unduly influence US policy).

PS2: The question still hangs: What makes BO magically responsible for Rev. Wright? Because they're both black men. Racism in the mix - Ya think?

...lauding Glenn for taking on the media: You do read (or at least skim the headlines) on Salon.com, correct? This site has been flogging the Rev. Wright story more than Fox News.

And, if you don't think Joan Walsh has a pro-Hillary bias, just scroll through her headlines from the last two months. The anti-Obama headlines (or, excuse me, those expressing "concern" about his candidacy) outnumber similar posts about Hillary by a factor of ten.

Joan Walsh has every right to support Hillary Clinton and the continued highly militarized approach to foreign affairs that she represents.

What does not have the right to do is clothe her support of Clinton, and distorted and excessive "concern" for Obama, in the guise of journalistic objectivity.

At the risk of putting words in Greenwald’s mouth—and I wouldn’t blame him for scolding me if I did—I think the larger point here is that we have more important things to focus on than Reverend Wright and twittering about how everything is reflected as pro- or anti- Obama or Clinton. I don't think Glenn has to post his thoughts about Wright because in my mind he's got more important things to point out to us. Wright isn't running for office.

I am guilty of having Democratic nomination tunnel vision for a few months now, so I understand, but take a look at what was in Salon.com a mere four years ago (type "Apr-29-2004" into the Salon.com search box). Granted, Kerry had long since wrapped up the nomination, but the focus on the dangers of Iraq (3 stories!), and the examples of media manipulation (1 story), contrast brightly against the lead stories of today. We're feeding the beast. Google the date for even more stories about Pat Tillman, Abuse coverup. It's astounding.

For a real chill factor, check out a horrifying blast from the past on the White House briefing on April 29, 2004

(Link also in sig) Helen Thomas, you are my hero. Remembering McClelland squirm about withrdrawl deadlines and not wanting to be occupiers would be hilarious if not so many people were still dying.

Salon, you got rid of the Fix (as much as I sometimes miss it, I admit) because it wasn't nutritious enough. Give us some more vitamins in the news coverage too, please?

Press Conference Transcript:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/04/20040429-4.html

The fact that you are downplaying the importance of Wright's comments is proof-positive that Barak is going to get pummeled in November. You think it's nothing? Shame on you. The fact that Barak associated with the man with utterly poisonous views for two decades says a lot about Barak.

The first two reasonable conclusions:

1) He either agrees with the views or at least doesn't see enough objectonable in them to leave the church. (He even had his chldren taught by this man!)

2) He joined the church only for political/tactical reasons and was never really paying much attention, so all his talk of being a "man of faith" is more political phoney-baloney, meaning Barak is no different from any other policitian. His whole schtick falls apart.

Both conclusions are damaging.

Imagine if Rush Limbaugh went off on a rant about how black people's brains are different from white people's! Or if he made fun of the way black people clapped or sang? You'd be falling all over yourselves to denounce him. But have Wright say it? Yawn. I'm no defender of Bush, but he was certainly right in his description of "soft bigotry of low expectations." Limbaugh says it? Racism! Wright says it? Right on, Brotha!

You downplay this and ignore it at your own peril.

So Brian Williams is more relevant than the racist pastor of America's first black contender for President.

Who knew?

Because it is one of those onions you need to peel back to see what is really going on.

This is when you know postmodernism is officially dead.

Neocons look into the center of the onion and find some deep hidden meaning. Liberals look into the center and find nothing.

Someone should call Jack Kerouac. We've got a live one here.

It does not (yet, at any rate) involve any photogenic, twenty-something, scantily clad female celeb with drug problems and a complicated love life. The next story about Amy Winehouse will knock this one off the front pages. If Paris Hilton goes to jail again -- election? What election?

So Brian Williams is more relevant than the racist pastor of America's first black contender for President.

Who knew?

I did. Because I don't have a tiny Sean Hannity-shaped worm inside my skull instead of a brain.

Follow this logic, shooter (ha!):

1) Brian Williams et al's opinions reach far, far, far more Americans than Wright's.

2) Nobody would even know who Wright is if not for these oh-so-wise pundits telling us we should care.

3) I already know LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF RACISTS. The news that there might be another does not perturb me.

4) John McCain's best friend Hagee says far scarier and crazier things on a daily basis, and the ONLY reason we don't hear about those is because Brian Williams and the Super Pundit friends have decided "regular Americans" don't care about the crazy-ass racist preacher whose support Bush McCain has actively pursued.

THEREFORE, yeah, Brian Williams is much more important.

But since you long ago threw away even the pretense of critical thinking in deference to the demands your Personal Savior, the GOP, it falls to the rest of us to remind your once-human husk that you had a mind of your own once.