A reminder that Obama was a politician before he was a Christian, that it was politics that first led him to the church, and that it was politics that formed the foundation of his relationship with Wright. The irony here is that Wright has offered a perfectly exculpatory explanation for Obama's behavior: that Obama didn't actually believe any of the nonsense Wright was preaching, he just needed all the connections, credibility, and political support that that came with membership in the congregation. In fact, this is the only possible explanation that doesn't cast serious doubt on Obama's character or judgment (at least relative to all the other politicians who cynically use religion to further their political careers). But Obama has painted himself into a corner. He can't just say that cozying up to Wright was the cost of getting ahead in Chicago politics--his entire campaign rests on the absurd premise that he is the first presidential candidate since George Washington who isn't a politician.