Ramesh – I hear what you’re saying, but I’ll take a stab at your question. He should have kept his big yap shut because:
1. He also talks a big game about helping the black race, racial unity and all that jazz. Profoundly undermining the first black candidate with a real shot at the White House just so you can preen in front of the cameras is certainly a betrayal of some kind.
2. He persuaded virtually no one about his “ideas.” Save among those who already agreed with him.
3. If Obama became president, he would have far grander opportunities to spread his message. The problem being that his message is deeply undercut if a black man can actually become president of the United States.
4. It turns out the initial descriptions and impressions of Wright all turned out to be largely accurate. He didn’t “dispel” any lies or distortions, he confirmed the fact that he’s — as you put it — an anti-American and racist buffoon. Why tear down Obama merely to corroborate what everyone had already been saying about him? At least prior to this week, liberal commentators were defending Wright as a man unfairly taken out of context. By speaking up, Wright removed all doubt about what he really is, and as I noted in my column today, he makes those prior defenders all look like saps.