This is a short one, but I just had to say it: Obama needs to get on the phone and reel Jeremiah Wright in...
I think the speeches and Bill Moyers thing was fine. It gave Wright an opportunity to defend himself and he didn't say anything that was bait for the McCain and Clinton Hate Machines.
But, this Q&A? It's going too far and he needs to be reeled in. That or Obama needs to step up and say that he has no control over Wright and make CLEAR that what Wright is saying is incorrect: Obama is NOT just distancing himself because he's a politician, but rather really does not agree with Wright's statements.
(But then there's the little part of me that sorta thinks OBama IS just distancing himself because he's a politician. I mean, I don't necessarily agree with the tone of what Wright said because I am not into the whole religious damnation thing, but I do understand where he's coming from and agree with some of the substance...and my guess is that a lot of liberals feel the same.)
Thoughts?
[Update: Yes, I realize that Freedom of Speech exists. I'm not saying that Wright has no "right" to speak, but I'm saying Obama needs to reel this in. He either needs to call Wright and ask him to stop causing more drama. OR provide him with some talking points which are a little more media-friendly. OR he needs to come out and start addressing this again. Last time he was criticized for waiting weeks to address the Wright debacle...I think he should jump ahead of it this time and help frame it, before the media gets out of hand.]
[PPS - I could care less about the Fox thing. I personally think that shunning Fox and other right-wingers only alienates a large group of voters who we need to connect with on some level. I disagree with just about everything Mike Huckabee stands for, but was able to see that he's a pretty charming, funny and nice guy only because he showed up on some of the liberal talk shows that I watch! Obama is all about reaching out to the other side ...going on Fox proved he's willing to do that. There are plenty of decent, average Americans who watch Fox and might vote for Obama. I have family members who watch Fox, yet are democrats]
[Update 3: Sure enough, I've flipped past several news stations and they're all talking about Wright. However, they were also playing clips of Wright commenting about Obama not knowing what he really said, Obama not being church enough, etc. If those are the clips we continue to see, it's not too bad for Obama...it reaffirms that he didn't know all of what Wright was saying and it shows that Wright is defiant against Obama. However, they also showed the clips of Wright saying Obama is just denouncing as a politician...that's bad. People don't like politicians being unauthentic politicians.]