Right On The Right

I'm currently sitting in school, a full transcript of Barack Obama's speech on race in front of me, highlighted and waiting for notation. I'll be addressing the entire speech later today, point by point, taking on all the lies, race-baiting, and dishonest political speech that Obama spouted. While you wait for my full reaction, and I have to say it's pretty negative, here's one major excerpt that's going to be talked about quite a bit:

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Michelle Malkin has full coverage of Barack's speech, with in-depth commentary and links to others. I want to be very clear in saying that Barack Obama's candidacy is now, and forever will be, defined by his apologist rhetoric in the midst of a conflict about race. He has shown very clearly that he doesn't have the judgment to lead this nation, given that he didn't have the judgment to leave his own church in the face of radical anti-American and conspiracy-mongering slurs. More to come...