Obama Media

Finding the Courage to Be Moral

I have avoided explicit praise or criticism of Obama, but his initial refusal this week to disavow Gen. Pace’s anti-gay comments reminds me of the Harry Belafonte quote I shared yesterday: “All he has to do is be truthful and have a vision for what to do and stop playing a goddamn game of politics.”  We can agree that neither Obama nor HRC is anti-gay, indeed, they found their morals yesterday (or at least their spokesman and website, respectively, did) after hearing from the Human Rights Campaign and others. (The fact that HRC equivocated as much, if not more that Obama does not excuse it.) Glenn Thrush at Newsday asks “why the dance?”

Clinton and Obama supporters, speaking on condition of anonymity, said both might have been trying to avoid offending socially conservative Democrats, particularly churchgoing African-Americans, who share Pace’s views.

Steve Sanders, a gay Democrat who sat on the party’s platform committee in 2000, said Clinton and Obama are engaged in a delicate balancing act. “Hillary and Barack have made very public overtures to religious Americans. They are trying to figure out how progressive Democrats can also make appeals to Americans of faith. It’s a work in progress.”

Andy has more extensive thoughts at towleroad:

It’s a pretty simple question, don’t you think?

John Edwards, so far, has been the most light on his feet on this issue. Asked by Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room whether he agrees with Pace’s comments, Edwards replied, “I don’t share that view.”

We certainly deserve better answers from our candidates, and should demand them.

Selma Analysis: Sunday “Was Obama’s Day”

Don Surber (via Instapundit) reviews HRC’s and Obama’s comments within blocks of each other in Selma yesterday and delivers this verdict:

I’m sure Hillary was well received. But it was Obama’s day. They did not march from Selma to Montgomery for the rights of women to vote…Whoever told Hillary to go to Selma today should be fired.