Barack Obama

Although I am socially conservative, I must admit, after reading Barack Obama's speech, that he is the most honest of any of the presidential nominees.

Barack Obama recognizes that there are contradictions in all of us, and that includes his pastor Jeremiah Wright. I was confused as to why Obama still associated with Wright and had suspicions about Obama's own motives. Not any more.

Obama understood that Wright's rantings were based on his generational experiences and that his old pastor simply refused to forgive America regardless of how much racial progress had already been made.

However, all of Wright's rantings did not take away the positive characteristics that Obama observed in Wright. As Obama said, Wright helped him enormously in his faith and that on a personal level Wright was always gracious to others regardless of race, whites included.

An analogy I can think of is if you had an aunt who helped you a lot in life but because she was raped by a man early in her life she turned out to have a very strong anti-male sentiment even if on a personal level she was friendly towards men.

Would you have separated from your aunt over that? What would have been the use of pulling her to the side and talking to her when you knew that what she felt was not based on reason but pure emotion?

Barack Obama has rightly and publicly rejected his old pastor's prejudices. Considering the context of his old pastor's experiences we should not have to demand that Obama totally separate and disassociate with him. We know where Obama stands and Obama is not racist or anti-American.

I encourage everyone to fully read Obama's speech. It's available on the Internet. An honest man he is.

Obama is not just rhetoric as many have so ignorantly dismissed him. He has very good and specific, detailed plans and ideas for the economy and foreign relations, although these do not receive the same public and media attention