I agree, making false accusations is extremely harmful, however, I wouldn't make harsh judgments against a group of people who had previously suffered from situations which would support the belief in said accusations (i.e. the ones I referenced). I think the fact that Hitchens pretty much glossed over that is pretty pathetic. Especially in light of how smart and thorough the man usually is.

I don't think it's a fair comparison to use Al Qaeda training sessions in an analogy. One is known for being completely distructive where as Trinity Church has been highly regarded and respected (and is part of the larger United Church of Christ <link> ). In fact, if people look into Wright's background in particular, he has been commended by/worked with/for three presidents (including Clinton). So it's really not the same. I don't think any less of Obama or his judgment for being friends with this man for 20 years. In fact, I'm not religious minded at all (really agree with Hitchens on this one) but I watched the full sermon of one of the controversial clips and found absolutely nothing hateful, racist, or anti-American about it. It's annoying when the first thing people say is "taken out of context" but the sermons really were, taken out of context.