Reading such misinterpretations of Obama's speech, such limited understanding of issues and ideas by both Meyers and other readers, makes one weep for the low level of education of so many people in America. At least one has to attribute such distortion of his speech to ignorance; otherwise, you have to assume they are simply evil.

Kristine Johanson

Spot-on. Obama’s existential failure was that he sided with his personal history, his relationship with Pastor Wright, ignoring the broader meaning of Wright’s damnation and rhetoric: 9/11, AIDS, War, the Middle East, Israel. Obama’s inability to see the bigger picture is fatale because the people who got evaporated into dust in 9/11 weren’t Black or White, or Hispanic. They were humans, Americans—at the most cynical; his voters. Obama’s lack of vision on this fundamental point cannot be reconciled. Race is important but not more important if you are facing a window on some tall, giant building and see a giant 747 coming on to you. No matter how Obama wishes to spin this—he can not.

I am not sure I quite understand what is happening. It seems that we live in two worlds. Those who support Obama heard an inspirational oratory, and those who don't heard some pretty lame excuses from Obama on why Reverent Wright was ... well, right to have such animosity (not in those words, but if they were wrong, he probably wouldn't have spent so much time providing context).

In America, it is more unlikely for a woman to be elected President. There is no discussion about this. Domestic violence, inequality in pay, the glass ceiling--all of these exist for women. And women are half the population. Yet we choose to remain silent on this issue.

In America, it is practically impossible to elect a non-Christian to the Presidency. Yet again, we fail to discuss the bias.

Mr. Barack Obama's failure is not in his refusal to disassociate himself with Reverend Wright's Church. It is his failure to accept his lapse in judgment, in admitting error, because his entire campaign is based on his superior judgment over Ms. Clinton.

And finally, where he ultimately fails, is that he feels healing is only a matter of getting the different races together, without regard to sex and religion, and perhaps most importantly, allowing his followers to trash anybody who disagrees with him, and yet maintaining a higher than thou persona throughout the campaign.

I am disappointed, because he had a chance to do so much more.

As a man of colour I think you right but you fail to understand that we as a nation isn´t there yet. I would be more than happy to live in a society that didnt judge by the color of my skin or hair. But therein lies the problem, we have never in my lifetimes had a public official at the highest level talk about this issue. For you to throw Obama under the bus when he is trying to bridge this divide is so wrong. Let me tell you why Mr. Myers. This country is so divided regarding race that a understanding must happen before we can recoincile. We need to take one step forward and let the rest of the nation catch up with the younger generation that is colourblind. To take seven step ahead and talk about something that doesnt get the picture of the whole society is to wander in nomans land were many are afraid to follow.

One thing more, those that agree with you are the ones and the few that uses the propaganda about wright and trowing his grandma under the bus. It seems strange that your message resonates with these people, but that shows you that your view(which is a good point) is so far away in their mindset that you surely must understand that we need to take a step in the right direction and thats what Obama offered.
And perhaps the next President can take the next one. But the most important thing is that we hava politicians that helps rather than obstruct a united america and who other than Obama is offering to at least try. Do you se this with the other candidates and out of that standpoint should you be happy that he taking a step in the right direction?

In 1962, my hometown Lynwood, was named All-American City by Look magazine. In those days, Lynwood took pride in being an all-white city. The residents and the local realtors did everything in their power to keep African-Americans for renting or buy housing in Lynwood. I clearly remember going to class the next day and seeing following comment scrawled on the chalkboard,"Lynwood, all-American, all-white. Ha.Ha.Ha." I can't describe the sense of rage, humiliation and shame I felt inside - and yeah, guess what!! I"m white.
In 1964, governor Pat Brown passed a fair housing bill. In the same year the California Real Estate Association launched Proposition 14, a constitutional amendment that would permanently ban fair housing in California. The Los Angeles Times supported Propostion 14. So did George Putnam on the Channell 11 news. I remember seeing a black commentator on Channel 11 trashing both fair housing and the liberals who supported such a measure. The commentator was Black Muslim who obviously felt that fair housing threatened his own agenda of hatred. When I saw African American commentators on Sean Hannity trashing Obama for his association with Rev. Wright, I got an instant sense of deja vu.*
Ronald Reagan launched his political career by pandering to the whites "disaffected" by the fair housing law. When I read many of the self-righteous comments on this blog, once again I get a sense of deja vu.* Ronald Reagan launched his bid for the presidency in Philadelphia, Mississippi, where three civil rights workers were brutally murdered. This was a blatant attempt to pander to Dixiecrats who would far soonner fly the stars and bars than the stars and stripes.Even today, the core constituency of the Republican party is the hate block. Yet I do not hear any one denouncing politicians, like John McCain, for invoking the name of Ronald Reagan over and over again. Nor has John McCain repudiated the racist policies of Ronald Reagan, they way that Obama repudiated the statements of Rev. Wright.
Revered Wright served in the military. I don't see Sean Hannity, Jonah Goldberg, or Tucker Carlton quitting their cushy media jobs for combat positions in Afghanistan or Iraq.I'd ask anyone posting a blog on this site to walk a mile in Rev. Wright's shoes. Imagine you had served in the Marines, and were told you could not buy a house or rent an apartment in an all-American city like Lynwood. Imagine you could not eat in a Howard Johnson's restaurant in Virginia, or cast a vote in Mississippi. How would you feel????
When I reflect on that hate-scrawled comment in the classroom some 46 years ago, when I read the hate-filled comments on this blog or the hate-filled comments on right wing radio, I can't help but wonder which era we're living in. Whether Mike Myers or any other right wing dingbat likes it or not, Obama has not only addressed the racial inequities and injustices we're pretending does not exist, but also defined the major issue of this election: a choice between the past and the future. I can only hope and pray that there are enough Americans who feel like me, or agree with the inelegant, but touching words of Paul D, a character in Toni Morrison's novel Beloved: "We've hand more yesterdays than anybody. What we need is a tomorrow." That's precisely what Obama offers. We need the courage to take that step

*(Yeah I know deja requires both an accent aigue and and an accent grave respectively, but my keyboard won't reproduce them