Rev. Wright at the Press Club - Boy Was I Wrong!

I was excited to hear the Rev. J. Wright was going to be doing an interview with Bill Moyer on PBS last Friday, April 25, 2008. I made sure the kids were settled down and I got myself cozzy in my favorite place on the couch with my blanket. I was ready to hear the words of a learned theological scholar in his own words. I was prepared to listen to him explain the truth behind the his jostled and misrepresented words. I was also prepared for the hard questions from Bill Moyer which would represent the ring wing's unwavering position to hold him accountable to what they perceived as anti-American, incendiary comments about the USKKK of A, AIDS, and the now infamous GD America comments. I just knew Rev. Wright would right those wrongs and America would be able to see once and for all this man's true colors and how he was honestly taken out of context. I was proud when he accomplished that.

Then on Saturday night I stumbled across his NAACP speech as I was looking for the Fox News interview with Barack Obama. I didn't know I missed it b/c it was on at 2pm (my bad), lol. But as I proceeded to watch I was again impressed at Rev. Wright's wit, style, prose, delivery, message, intellectualism, humor, and impeccable oratory skills. His message about "different does not mean deficient" was honorable. After the speech I couldn't help but turn on every news channel just to see what the immediate reaction was going to be. I felt my viewpoints were reflected in every comment I heard as the commentators praised his work and his nay sayers were stumped for anything negative to say. It seemed he accomplished the goal he set out to. The goal I had hoped for him (and quietly for Barack).

On Sunday everyone gave him praising remarks and some even rescinded their harsh words and incediary comments towards him. Some even went so far as to apologize for not listening to the entire sermon and rushing to judgement. This was more than one could hope for given the horrible toll this was taking on everyone.

Then Monday came and all hell broke lose...again! I sit now almost a week later and ask myself, "Why couldn't Rev. Wright leave well enough alone?" Why didn't he walk away and lavish in the praises and apologies knowing that it was all better for him and subsequently for Barack. Why didn't he know that there was a larger, bigger picture that was playing in the movie theater next door - a movie called, "The 2008 Presidential Primary" starring Barack Obama (the first real African American candidate in American history? Why did he get caught up in the applause and thunder in the room of the National Press Club that ultimately igged him on to disaster? Why did it seem that he irresistably turned into Mr. Hyde just when we believed Dr. Jekkyll had seemed to win out over his evil alter ego.

Initially I got caught up in his dismissive, flippant and downright egotistical, meniacal remarks. I stood up and cheered with the crowd knowing there was truth in what he was saying. I completely allowed my emotions to get the best of me as I said, "you go Rev. tell 'em like it is!" I heard with one ear the difficult questions being fired off one by one by the woman with the natural two toned curly long locks and I relished in every flippant response fired back by the Rev. I forgot that the world was listening and watching, judging and waiting like a rabid dog ready to attack at the first site of blood shed by a weak victim. Rev. Wright continued to ravage on like that weak victim while the media continued to follow the rules and sit quietly in their balcony seats - blood dripping from the corners of their mouths waiting to pounce on him once given the go ahead. And, Rev. Wright kept on pushing the green light as every second passed by. He didn't have the sense enough to know he was lead to the kill - no - he just kept going.

It wasn't but minutes or hours before the media trounced on him showing how he proved them right. Oh how naive of me to think what he did was right and wouldn't carry the heavy consequence it finally did for him and for Barack.

I realized when I got caught up in the moment that I too, like many others who were rooting for Rev. Wright, got swept up in the moment - quite like one does when observing a street fight. You root for the underdog, yelling, screaming "punch him back, kick 'em, yeah!" Not thinking at all about the consequences to come. I lost sight of the goal. The bar Barack had set over a month and a half ago during his race speech in Philadelphia when he asked everyone to keep their eyes on the prize of a truly United States of America. All of a sudden I was human...like the rest.

When Barack finally denounced his Pastor's comments and behavior - finally severing ties with him - it hit me. I needed to refocus my eyes and re-evaluate what I thought was a good duke 'em fight to the finish - was really a nasty egomanical brawl fest filled with self-graitfying moments of selfishness from a narcissist who truly was caught up in the past and couldn't see the forest for the trees.

Rev. Wright got blindsided by his own ego and totally forgot about Barack and his message. I guess he was quiet for so long that he felt he needed to get it out - and the media was more than accomodating. I was also more than accomodating.