Barack Obama resigned membership in Trinity United Church of Christ. The news apparently broke just as he was flying into Aberdeen. This is the political equivalent of a tonsillectomy: remove that part of yourself that keeps attracting infection. It is unclear whether it will fix very much. Esteemed fellow blogger Cory Heidelberger argued in response to the Argus Leader that Clinton was not more moderate than Obama.
The Clintons' "moderation" is never a product of philosophy, only of pragmatic political ambition. Obama is as capable of sitting down with opponents and finding common ground as -- if not more so than -- Clinton.
It's hard to argue with that. But the same is now manifestly true of Senator Obama to anyone but his true believers. Or at least we can narrow it down to three choices. Offensive, wacky radicalism from the pulpit has now compelled Senator Obama to leave his church of twenty years. Assuming that this radicalism did not suddenly appear out of nowhere, but has been a feature of the Church for much or all of that time, why is Obama resigning now?
1. He really didn't notice it until it became a scandal. This is his story. If true, it means he is stupid.
2. He noticed it, did not agree with it, but just went along, like a liberal at a family reunion in Georgia, who pretends to chuckle at a politically incorrect joke.
3. He agreed with the radicalism, but for Clintonian reasons is now pretending that it offends him.
These categories are close to being logically exhaustive. None are flattering to Obama. The last is the most plausible, and the most alarming.
Recent Comments