On his interview with Bill Moyers, when Wright was asked about how he responded to Obama's denounciation of Wright's controversial statements, Wright responded that Obama is a politician and he (Wright) was a pastor and they spoke to different audiences. Many pundits have seen this as an attack on Obama, but I see it differently.
The point Wright was making was that the responsibility of a pastor, in the black tradition, is not to be politically correct, but to speak to his parishioners as a spiritual leader should. Just as the prophets of the New and Old Testament spoke harshly to and about those things or persons who where ungodly, some pastors find it their duty to do the same today. Obama responsibility as a politician, is different then Wright's responsibility as a pastor. As Wright said during last night's speech, "different not deficient." Politician isn't a dirty word, although some politician might be "dirty."
I don't think Wright is out for revenge. I think he, has to respond to the needs of his church, as there are 8000 members; a lack of response on his part would not reflect well on him or the church. Surely the ongoing vociferous attacks against Wright, are having a demoralizing effect on his congregation making a response appropriate. Many are suggesting that the timing was wrong, that Wright should have waited until after the election. I have even heard comments to that effect from other pastors. But the truth is that Wright postponing his comments for a later time, would have been politics, and a derilection of his pastorial duties.
By speaking now, Wright, may in fact be helping Obama. His sermons are out there. Before Wright's interview with Moyers, all we knew of Wright came from the media's caricature of his sermons. The effect has been to brand Wright as a devisive angry black man, and calls into question Obama's judgement. Republicans are likely to take sinpets from his speeches, present them out of context, with the intention of damaging Obama. They would release there political ads, and send their surrogates out to all the talk shows just before the general election. The political benefit of Wright speaking now is that we get a chance to air it out and diminish or eliminate the shock value from Rev. Wright's fiery speeches sooner than later. It defuses the "Wright effect," and weakens the Republican attack tool in the general election.
In fact, once you get over the "shouting," for those of us who are not use to that type of sermon, Wright makes a lot of sense. You don't have to agree with all he says, but the comments made by Wright, taken in context, are not without merit. With his public commentary, Wright, who first gained national stature as a caricature, is being transformed into a formidable national religious leader. He is likely to gain the respect of many of all races.