Guess Who's Back

So I leave for a week and you people change the governor on me?

Next winter, the first time you hate your life for living in New York during December/January/February and, the most fickle of them all, March, do me a favor: Book a trip to Mexico. The sun, the beautiful sea, the food, the drinks, the women. Who goes home after that? As much as we all know I love my current events here, the chatter of the Caribbean Sea beats the chatter of Hillary Clinton any day. Seriously, send me back there. Just be ready to install a shuffleboard court and early-bird all-you-can-eat shrimp buffet in forty years for me.

Mere weeks ago, I was convinced I'd walk into the booth on November 4th not knowing which lever to pull. Thank you, Rev. Jeremiah Wright for saving me a few sleepless nights. The pastor is right about many things. The history of racism in this country is regrettable and unfortunately continues to this day in some form. I would be pretty outraged myself if my success were in some way influenced by deep-seated suspicions of my skin color by a discriminating few. A national conversation on race - once nobly attempted but feebly executed by former President Clinton - would provide great catharsis and bring us to Senator Obama's dream of transcending race.

However, Senator Obama and most people in the media miss the point about what has caused so much hurt. This story would have died rather quickly if Reverend Wright's sermons stuck to the topic of decrying racism and the need to rise above it. Even the most pigheaded of people who think racism no longer exists would likely not condemn Senator Obama for associating himself with this man. No, I am pretty sure the real reason we cannot look past this issue lies somewhere in one or all three of the following statements:

1) The chickens came home to roost on 9/11
2) The American government planted AIDS on black people
3) "God damn America"

These statements are so radical and hurtful that you cannot juxtapose them with the context of any great things the man has done. If you want to be President of the United States, do you not expect people to have reservations about your leadership based on the statements of your mentor and close friend? As Senator Clinton said today, you can't choose your family members, but you can choose your pastor. The only patriotic response to this whole situation is to immediately resign membership from this Church. I'm not even running for president, but if my pastor had said any of these statements, you can bet I'd be consulting the Diocese of Brooklyn directory as I got home.

There is such a thing as being too open-minded. I don't think this situation has proved Senator Obama to be unpatriotic (with his life story, anyone would love this country), but I do think it's shown him to be a little naive. What does this say of future dealings with world leaders with whom we do not have the best diplomatic relations? This situation raised doubts about a subject which I had previously been waving off like a mosquito: Experience. He has served just a half-term in the Senate, and that is really starting to rear its ugly head. Furthermore, I just got done with an elected official with a somewhat short prior public service record. And I voted for Spitzer. I refuse to make the same mistake again. Like them or not, at least with Senators Clinton and McCain's combined 131 years of life, there will not be very much room for surprise.

Obama's eloquent, moving speech last week re-proved his abilities as a communicator, healer, and uniter. Sadly for him, the job description of President is far more complex.