Hitchens: Obama Sold Out His Grandmother

Slate:

It's been more than a month since I began warning Sen. Barack Obama that he would become answerable for his revolting choice of a family priest. But never mind that; the astonishing thing is that it's at least 11 months since he himself has known precisely the same thing. "If Barack gets past the primary," said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to the New York Times in April of last year, "he might have to publicly distance himself from me. I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen." Pause just for a moment, if only to admire the sheer calculating self-confidence of this. Sen. Obama has long known perfectly well, in other words, that he'd one day have to put some daylight between himself and a bigmouth Farrakhan fan. But he felt he needed his South Side Chicago "base" in the meantime. So he coldly decided to double-cross that bridge when he came to it. And now we are all supposed to marvel at the silky success of the maneuver.

You often hear it said, of some political or other opportunist, that he would sell his own grandmother if it would suit his interests. But you seldom, if ever, see this notorious transaction actually being performed, which is why I am slightly surprised that Obama got away with it so easily. (Yet why do I say I am surprised? He still gets away with absolutely everything.)

Read the whole story: Slate

Comments

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

Has he been drinking again?

[AnotherAndy]

Attack the messenger to avoid refuting the message.

[boombox]

The message is drivel.

[SaltySaltillo]

The message is refuted by the messenger. Hitchens is not a mere atheist, but a self-identified "antitheist" who hates all forms of religion and God worship and sees all politics on earth today as a struggle between secularism (good) and any kind of religion (bad).

It also doesn't help that Hitchens is an enthusiastic supporter and defender of the war in Iraq because he sees it as part of a greater global war on Islam which he thinks is a necessary part of creating a post-theological secular world.

Maybe if Huckabee had made this criticism it would have more stickiness­... Oh yeah, I forgot, Huckabee defended Obama and Wright.

[estreya]

Maybe he and Bush have been elbow bending together.

[boombox]

You mean at some point he stopped?

[robXdion]

Let it go, angry white man, let it go.

[fourex]

And Hitchens ate her.

[iPolitics]

Hitchens loves the War in Iraq and the next War in Iran more than McCain, Bush, and the Neo-cons. Maybe not more, but it's close. Obama will bring peace. Dangerous to Hitchens

[slow2]

ipolitics, you're not just kidding. Lesh all jesh have one more for the road...bef­ore I gotta write that VF piece...on WMDsssss.

[AnotherAndy]

Attack the messenger to avoid refuting the message.

[boombox]

The message is drivel.

[iPolitics]

I attacked the motivation of the messanger not the messanger. Did I make a personal attack? A personal attack would be saying you're dumb, which you are.

[LittleSanityLeft]

I attacked the message but it wasn't posted. a little common sense and it's plain to see that your whole story is tripe. First, Obama didn't need Wright to secure his votes in Chicago and to suggest that he did is being deliberately obtuse. Obama had Jeremiah Wright on his campaign because the campaign was about hope, Obama candidacy was spawned from reverend Wrights sermon "The Audacity of Hope" and Obama wanted to have a man who so inspired him on the campaign knowing full well that the bigots and spinners would present a issue for him.

Also, enough with defending Obama's grandmother. I sure she'd be the first one to say she doesn't need defending from you. I'm black, adobted and lived with a white family. There were occasions, though extremely rare, where a family member might say something that surprised me but I know it was more to do with learning from osmosis then harboring any real racial animosity. So this is me using my white family to help explain why Obama used his, and that's because if your going to move the country forward in search for unity and understanding then being honest about where to start is extremely important. Facing the realities of racial relations is extremely important.