Keep an Open Mind.

Well, anybody who thought Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright was going to stay in the background until November was mistaken. Wright spoke last night at an NAACP conference and today at a National Press Club symposium. I tuned in last night to watch the speech in its entirety because I didn't want to rely on sound bites alone. His message was one of defending the black church, but mostly he pushed the idea that, whether it be churchgoers, students or citizens, that different is not deficient. Different but equal. Watched in total his message resonates, yet as I watched I could pick out the sound bites that the media would likely seize upon this morning. Indeed, headlines and video clips this morning picked the most controversial (though they really weren't) statements that he made. I am often quick to judge and I urge anyone who forms an opinion based solely on the clips to watch or read the speech in full.

There is little doubt that Wright is a blatant self-promoter, a trait that I believe diminishes his message. His points can be lost in his sometimes clownish need to turn heads and drop jaws. He, and I understand he doesn't care because he is a pastor not a politician, didn't do Obama any favors. What impact putting himself in the spotlight has on Obama remains to be seen.