ROBERT GEORGE COMMENTARY: Barack's Bravery

The moderate-conservative Republican blogger discusses Sen. Barack Obama's speech yesterday on race and religion: "As previously noted, I thought Barack Obama gave a very good speech: Philosophically and structurally, it's one of the better addresses a modern black politician has ever delivered; more significantly, it is one of the more thoughtful speeches from any one individual running for president in quite some time. While he did not denounce Rev. Jeremiah Wright personally, Obama upbraided the anger coming from Wright's generation -- an anger which, 'is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change.' He also calls 'legitimate' the sentiments of whites who resent affirmative action (though it would have been nice for him to actually call it that by name) and crime. While it's easy to say, 'Well, of course, they are legitimate,' not many black leaders admit that."

Mr. George takes issue with many white conservatives' strong criticisms of a certain portion of Sen. Barack Obama's speech: "One major rhetorical point that Obama made seems, to me, to have been misunderstood. My friend Rich Lowry [of National Review] -- among others -- castigates Obama for lumping Wright's rhetoric with the sometimes hurtful comments of his white grandmother. For one thing, while race is an almost intractable public policy problem, it manifests itself in minute personal interactions and various slights on a daily basis. What is wrong with bringing up a personal anecdote on how racial insensitivity can try even the tightest of loving bonds? Aside from that, Obama actually links his white grandmother as much with 'the black community' as he does with Wright...There is a triangle of relationships here -- the black community, Rev. Wright and Obama's grandmother. He admits unbreakable bonds to all three -- regardless of their faults. It's fascinating to hear this reflection of sentiment (yes, I recognize that this is a political speech and we can be cynical about the motives of each line) dismissed as an example of 'throwing his grandmother under the bus.' Why isn't recognizing 'bitterness and bias' an example of 'throwing the black community under the bus'? Obama is very direct in noting the failings, not merely of Wright, but of the broader black community itself. He notes one personal anecdote of white insensitivity and critics want to jump on that line as an example of insincerity. Actually, this underscore Obama's point: He says he can't divorce himself from Wright, the black community or his white grandmother: My conservative friends seem only interested in 'rescuing' Obama's grandmother from the implications of this argument."

He continues his commentary: "Politically, I'm not sure how this speech plays. Obama has excelled so far in this campaign by not assiduously not talking explicitly about race. He has allowed his story to speak for him -- while he places race as one of many potentially divisive things which Americans have to bridge. The Clinton campaign has wanted to make Obama the 'black' candidate -- as evidenced by the South Carolina primary. But, from the Ohio debate -- where Louis Farrakhan 'appeared' to Geraldine Ferraro and now Wright -- Obama has been forced to respond to questions/charges over race. Ironically, all of the controversies actually involve statements uttered by third-parties. To the extent that he has to talk about these things, he is not talking about what he wants. Over the last two days, Hillary Clinton has been able to get into the news cycle on Iraq and the economy, whereas all Obama coverage has focused on race. That said, a candidate is often judged by how he responds to adversity. He also can be judged if he manages to deliver something that is out of the ordinary. This speech falls into both categories.

And more: "The usual suspects will head to their respective corners. Liberal Democrats will, of course, love Obama's speech. His supporters previously nervous about their candidate in the wake of the Wright revelations will stay on board and see their candidate in an even stronger light. Democratic superdelegates will remain calm. Many conservatives who thought Obama was full of it will be even more convinced. Newt Gingrich called it 'fundamentally dishonest' (one of those oh-so-rare times when I disagree with my former boss). However, the glee with which Rush Limbaugh declares that Obama has become 'the candidate of race' is rather disturbing. It may be just to criticize Obama for not condemning Wright earlier -- or not abandoning his church -- but exulting in Obama's de facto 'ghettoization' is nothing short of bizarre....The risk Obama is taking is that this, uh, revelation [about the history of black churches] will brand him -- for all of his inclusive rhetoric -- as part of that eternal Other who can't ever truly be assimilated into American society (that seems to be the subtext of Limbaugh's glee). Obama has presented himself as the epitome of the assimilated American black man. Ironically, his refusal to denounce a man who clearly, in many ways, took the place of Obama's father who abandoned him may turn the candidate into the 'black' he has been trying to 'transcend.'"