First Obama said he could no more disown Wright than he could disown his own grandmother, or the black community. Leaving aside the fact that, in retrospect, this was an insult to the black community and his grandmother, the decision to distance himself now begs the question, what changed? Wright had said horrible things about this country and many of the ethnic groups that comprise it, but all this was initially dismissed by Obama as an unfair caricature based on soundbytes taken out of context. Wright was just like a crazy uncle, we were told--harmless. But all of a sudden, Obama recognizes Wright as the malefactor that he truly is. Why the change of heart? Says Ana Marie Cox (she's respectable now, right?):
Is it overly cynical of me to think that Wright diminishing Obama as a mere politician was the true tipping point? Because that seems to be one of the few new arguments (ideas? rants? conspiracy theories?) that Wright made. Sadly for Obama, it may also be the only correct one.
This is the only possible explanation. Andrew Sullivan hit the nail on the head as to why the time had come for Obama to disown Wright: "He now has the obvious defense that Wright has attacked him and disowned him." Obama sat in the pews for 20 years, indifferent to the hatred Wright spewed towards all quarters of American life. It was only when Wright turned on Obama that he repudiated him. That's the awful truth of the matter.