I personally don't conflate Senator Obama's views with Reverend Wright's. I can only hope that others don't as well, but I know my fellow Americans better than that.
Of all the statements that Reverend Wright has made, I think that this one probably sticks in the craw of people, more so than even the "God Damn America" remark.
Obama should specially repudiate and denounce Reverend Wright's suggestion that the US Government created AIDS to destory the Black race.
By strongly denouncing this statement Obama can go a long way toward distancing himself from what many consider to be Wright's anti-American views.
So far, Obama has said that he rejects the controversial remarks:
"I have said before and I will repeat again that some of the comments that Reverend Wright has made offend me and I understand why they've offended the American people.
"He does not speak for me. He does not speak for the campaign and so he may make statements in the future that don't reflect my values or concerns.
"I think certainly what the last three days indicate is that we're not coordinating with him."
But I'm not sure that goes far enough for many people. The problem is that suggesting the US created AIDS paints America not a good Country that does the wrong thing from time to time, but rather it paints America as an evil and insidious Nation.
I know it is a slippery slope for Obama to start selecting individual quotes and denouncing them, but by singling out this remark, which many consider the most henious of the lot, Obama could do some damage control.
MODERATOR: In your sermon, you said the government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. So I ask you: Do you honestly believe your statement and those words?
WRIGHT: Have you read Horowitz's book, "Emerging Viruses: AIDS and Ebola," whoever wrote that question? Have you read "Medical Apartheid"? You've read it?
(UNKNOWN): Do you honestly believe that (OFF-MIKE)
WRIGHT: Oh, are you -- is that one of the reporters?
MODERATOR: No questions...
(CROSSTALK)
WRIGHT: No questions from the floor. I read different things. As I said to my members, if you haven't read things, then you can't -- based on this Tuskegee experiment and based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything.
In fact, in fact, in fact, one of the -- one of the responses to what Saddam Hussein had in terms of biological warfare was a non- question, because all we had to do was check the sales records. We sold him those biological weapons that he was using against his own people.
So any time a government can put together biological warfare to kill people, and then get angry when those people use what we sold them, yes, I believe we are capable