The talking heads — not the band — on cable were wondering why the Rev. Jeremiah Wright would consider appearing on television — on Bill Moyers Journal tonight at 9 and Sunday at 7 p.m. — and what his appearance might mean. Interesting way to approach it, I guess, but one that completely missed the point.
Imagine if you had three or four snippets of sermons you had given over a multi-decade career broadcast out of context as weapons in a presidential race, weapons designed to inject the issue of race at a time when a black candidate had become the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and the favorite to win the White House. Imagine that the furor resulted in your name being transformed into an epithet, that the substance of your critiques is ignored and the inflammatory language used is all that survives in the public’s mind. You’d want a chance to respond, to restore the context to your words — especially knowing that they will be replayed over and over again for the next six-and-a-half months.
As for the impact that his interview might have, well, how could it be anymore damaging than the way his sermons had been misused up to this point? That’s Dana Milbank’s take, speaking on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, he offers this:
Well, the tape will be there and available now. But this story would reignite if and when Obama is the nominee and then John McCain and his surrogates bring it up again. So, probably no harm in just getting that on the record.
Here is Barack Obama’s response today.
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Hank Kalet 