Counteracting Wright

[Onlooker]

Obama needs to deliver a major stirring and specific speech on terrorism and Israel to counteract Wright. I think the fear of Obama, to the extent there is one, has more to do with the politics of black nationalism than with race. This of course is unfair and part of our pervasive racism, but if Obama wants to win, he has to play ball. He has to woo the moderates of all parties who fear any ideology that is not part of the white mainstream and he has to woo the Democratic-leaning Jewish community that is still haunted by people like Jackson, Sharpton, Farrakhan, and now Wright, all of whom have made anti-Semitic comments or comments perceived as anti-Semitic.

Obama already spoke beautifully on the matter of race and spoke specifically on the matter of Wright, but he needs to make very clear what distinguishes him from those who fear the politics of Farrakhan, Wright, Sharpton, and Jackson:
(1) How would he fight terrorist attacks?
(2) How would he fight attacks on Israel?
(3) What would he do to prevail in Afghanistan?
(4) How would he protect our country from terrorist attacks?
(5) How would he confront Iran or Syria over it's nuclear weapons program?

I know he's already spoken on these issues, but the fact is the machine is demanding greater clarity and a commitment to the sort of policies that have been around since at least JFK. He doesn't need to adapt a the right-wing rhetoric of McCain or Clinton, but he needs to demonstrate his toughness against terrorism and his commitment to Israel in order to get his victory march back on track. There are very powerful forces out there that will derail his campaign if not now, then in the general election. They are afraid of an outsider like Obama, and like it or not they need to be reassured.

[Swamp Rat]

1. Robertson, Hagee, Falwell, Dobson, et al

[noel711]

2. The issue now is that Obama NOT appear to be over-reactive....

Although he is excellent in 'recovery' mode,

this campaign has been full of so many 'kneejerk events'
that Obama has become a pro at steading the boat after it goes off course.

But that reactivity is not good for his sense of control of his campaign,
and for his life.

He needs to be strong enough to set his own course,
to set the own tone of the campaign,
and set the agenda for the whole presidential race.

That is true leadership, but he's so accomodating it appears
that others are setting the course... not good.

[Swamp Rat]

3. Time to destroy McCain's campaign.

Obama can take care of himself.

[barack the house]

4. Yep, perfectly right I have felt this for quite a while.