This is a second significant, almost 20 year long relationship in Barack Obama's relatively short adult life in which he now says he was clueless about things that should have leapt out at him.
It's a problem of judgment. And, to some extent, arrogance. He knew about Rezko being a problem for him before he announced his presidential bid. But it took 15 months to agree to answer his hometown papers' questions about him. He also knew Wright would be a problem, but instead of addressing it, until this week he intentionally swept Wright under the rug:
Obama campaign advisor David Axlerod today acknowledged that the Obama campaign knew Wright was going to be a problem from the get-go and it's why Wright dis-invited to Obama's launch of his presidential campaign.
the Obama campaign had a sense that Wright's sharp tongue might spell trouble for the Illinois senator. (For a sermon sample, click on the Read more line below.)
That was the word anyway Sunday from Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod, who acknowledged during a conference call with reporters that Wright was disinvited from Obama's official candidacy announcement on Feb. 10, 2007, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.
Wright had been expected to lead an invocation of some kind, but never appeared. “There was no doubt that there was controversy surrounding him,” Axelrod said Sunday. “And we didn’t want to expose him … [or] make him the target and a distraction on a day when Sen. Obama was going to announce his candidacy.”
The Obama campaign first said the weather prevented Wright's appearance. Today's statement by Axelrod shows that wasn't true. They were trying to hide him.
So, two significant relationships of almost 20 years in Obama's life. Two cases of bad judgment, of his having to renounce (but not reject) a person close to him. Two cases of waiting more than a year to fully answer questions about the relationship. As I wrote here last week:
I've consistently maintained there's no indication Obama did anything legally improper in his Rezko dealings. Rezko is presumed innocent -- his criminal trial is only a few weeks old and scheduled to last months. Obama is not a player in any of the alleged misconduct.
But it's hard to say he didn't exercise poor judgment and it's fair to ask whether it might happen again, whether he's too naive and whether personal loyalties might again impair his judgment on some issue.
While I don't believe Obama subscribes to Wright's views and I believe his heart is in the right place and he wants what's best for the country, I think we've just seen another case of his poor judgment and his tendency to put blinders on when when it comes to his loyalty to his friends and his choice of associates.
If Obama is elected President, we'll be relying on his judgment in choosing high level advisors and policy makers. His track record with Rezko and Wright, particularly his insistence he saw no red flags, gives me pause.
Obama seems less about hope and change and more about inexperience and naivite.
I'll take a gamble if Obama's the nominee, for sure. Anything but another 4 years of Republican rule But he isn't the nominee yet. And we have a much less risky option at hand in Hillary.
Update: Comments at 150 and closing.
