Again, Obama at yesterday's press conference:
And as I said before, I continue to believe that Reverend Wright has been a -- a -- a leader in the South Side. I think that the church he built is outstanding. I think that he has preached in the past some wonderful sermons. He provided, you know, valuable contributions to my family. But at a certain point, if what somebody says contradicts what you believe so fundamentally, and then he questions whether or not you believe it in front of the National Press Club, then that's enough. That's -- that's a show of disrespect to me. It's a -- it is also, I think, an insult to what we've been trying to do in this campaign.
Wright has showed so much disrespect to so many people, but only when Wright shows disrespect to Obama himself does the candidate take umbrage. Chickens coming home to roost? That doesn't rise to the level of throwing the guy overboard. The government created AIDS? You wouldn't disown your grandmother for saying that. How about God damn America? Surely you wouldn't abandon your community, your roots, just because your preacher damned the country that gave you every opportunity you've ever had. But disrespect moi? Well, every man has his breaking point. In fact, the whole affair has a rather Beauchampian quality. Deny, deny, deny, nothing to see here. Then when that doesn't work, disavow selected items in the narrowest way possible so as to avoid the embarrassment of disavowing the whole. And when that fails and you have no other choice and the damage is already done, toss the guy overboard with a minimum amount of grace and a maximum amount of self-centered indignation. Oh, and get Andrew Sullivan to make your case well beyond the point when any such case is tenable, only to have him declare your judgment and management of the affair beyond reproach at the very moment you're forced to admit what everybody else has known for months.