Does It Hurt to Get Repudiated?

The big political story the past week has been revolving around Geraldine Ferraro and her comment about Obama's success being due in large part to his race. Ferraro was sitting on Clinton's campaign finance committee, but was quickly dismissed for her views. Based on the speed at which Ferraro was thrown under the bus, Clinton must have some Hulk-like upper body strength.

The name of the game in this modern, "respectable" Presidential campaign is Guilt by Association. As soon as someone even remotely connected to a campaign says something inflammatory or dirty, the candidate involved cannot repudiate / reject / denounce that person and those comments quick enough. Except Barack Obama - he gets a free pass.

John McCain: At a rally in Cincinnati, Bill Cunningham dared to use Obama's middle name (Hussein) and had some comments about Hillary as well. When told about Cunningham's remarks, McCain couldn't start apologizing fast enough.

Hillary Clinton: Pick one - a staffer implied Obama not only took, but sold drugs, Ferraro and her comments, etc. In each case, the staffer involved has either been dismissed or submitted a rather hasty resignation.

And then there's Barack Obama. Yes, someone on his staff called Hillary a "monster," and that person left the campaign. Man, Obama is really cracking down on the name calling. But what about his pastor - the Reverend Jeremiah Wright? Here is a sampling of some of Rev. Wright's thoughts:

- 5 days after 9-11, Rev. Wright took the position that the US caused 9-11 through it's sponsorship of state terrorism against the Palestinians and South Africans, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (I didn't think Japan was involved with 9-11, but whatever...). Granted, Obama was not running for President at the time, but he is now. And when asked about these comments, Obama explained that Wright was simply "trying to be provocative."

- In another sermon in 2003, he blamed rampant drug-use and the high percentage of incarcerated blacks on government conspiracy. This sermon was wrapped up with the choice phrase, "God damn, America." Nice.

The question is - why is Obama allowed not to rebuke this guy? Rev. Wright presided over Obama's wedding and the baptism of his two kids; he has taken an extended sabbatical to campaign for Obama. Clearly, he's involved with the campaign, and if you listen to the propaganda, Barack is a very spiritual person who goes to church on a regular basis. To me, that means Barack's spiritual advisor plays a pretty important role in Barack's life.

When speaking to a Jewish group, Barack tried to explain that Rev. Wright is like that crazy uncle everyone has. Ok, I have some crazy uncles, so I can relate to that comment. However, I am not running for President, and my crazy uncles are not a significant influence in my life. Call me old fashioned, but when it comes to deciding who's going to be in charge of our country, I would prefer a person who doesn't listen to someone that thinks the country is the enemy.

I'm going to chalk all this up to a gratuitous application of The Double Standard. The media has turned on Hillary, so Barack is getting the free passes. As for McCain - well, he's still a Republican in name, so he shouldn't expect any favors.