107.

So Obama finally condemned Rev. Wright. I'm not surprised he did it, I'm just sad. I thought a man like Obama, who not only confronts but seems to thrive on ambiguity, would be able to straddle the fine line. I cheered a little when I read his speech on race. I thought, here's a guy who understands the need to understand.

Well, too much too soon, it seems. Yes, so Wright seems to be a bit of a firebrand - but the course of true faith has never run smooth, as demonstrated just this month by the visit of another dignitary - the Pope. Americans fell all over the pontiff, in spite of the fact that this Nazi-turned-cardinal once referred to all of Mohammed's teachings as "evil and inhuman." It's true he apologized, and I'm not trying to knock the Pope.

My question is, if respect for the office means that in spite of his intolerant history Benedict warrants a presidential airport pickup and a White House dinner, why can't the world step back a little from Rev. Wright? Yes, he's a man of God, but since when does that mean he is perfect? And why does Wright have to be perfect, when so many other religious figures aren't?

I don't blame him for saying that an attack on him is an attack on the black church - after all, isn't it his right to speak up for the institution he serves, regardless of whether or not I agree with him? Inasmuch as it is the Pope's job to condemn abortion and birth control, isn't it also Rev. Wright's job to condemn injustices faced by minorities in America?

Yes, he said the government spread AIDS as a way of getting rid of black people. Believe me, Wright is not the first to think these thoughts. Perhaps a black American, familiar with the history of white scientific "interventions" as the mainstream is not, would not find Wright's theory so hard to believe.

I'm not trying to say that the man is an angel, or even that I agree with him. I'm asking why Wright doesn't get the same right to disagree as the Pope? Why is it that Benedict nee Ratzinger recently spoke at Nationals Park, while Wright faced a rescinded degree offer from Northwestern? (Clearly the fight has left these Methodists)

Is it just that the majority of Americans, in their hearts, believe what the Pope said about Islam? Or is that we've had a Catholic president, you know, but it's still a big deal that Obama is running for the highest office in the land?