The Washington Blade, a gay newspaper in D.C., has some harsh words in an April 11 editorial on Senator Obama and his latest problem pastor, James Meeks (background on Meeks here). An excerpt:

THERE SEEMS TO be a continuing double standard here for what we will hold candidates accountable for and clearly what we think about their basic judgment. As a Clinton supporter I was upset that she felt the need to exaggerate the Bosnia danger. But I had the same disappointment when Obama exaggerated his work in the Senate, claiming to pass a bill that never got passed and claiming to be a bigger part of a bi-partisan coalition in the Senate than he was. But then neither the Clinton lapse on Bosnia, nor Obama’s lapse on the Senate issues is really that important. But when we are talking about racist and homophobic statements by two pastors that the candidate says he has been close to for years and considers spiritual counselors, who he worships with, that to me is a real problem in judgment that may impact me if he is elected. It concerns me that he may be beholden to these men and others who share their views. While I am concerned about who contributes money to both Clinton and Obama, I am more concerned about the people they consider close personal friends and counselors. It is time that we called on Obama to do more than make a great speech on race relations, which he did, and call on him to say that he will not take his spiritual counsel from people with such repugnant views. I don’t yet feel confident that Obama will take this next step. I support Hillary Clinton, who with all her real and perceived faults doesn’t have those kinds of lapses in judgment. If Obama ends up the nominee of the Democratic Party he will have to make real moves in this area to try to unite the party before he can attempt to try to unite our nation as he claims he wants to do. The views and words of both Wright and Meeks don’t belong anywhere near the White House.