Obama grew up without a father figure in his life. Rather than letting his life give in to entropy (as many in his position might have done), he set out to find a place for himself in the world--to establish a "family" and a "community" where he could put down roots and grow. On that journey, he found Trinity Church.

As someone who well understands the drive to "find a place where I feel like I belong," I can also understand that once you have put down real roots in a community--and a church is so much more than its pastor, it's a community--it is very hard to just pull them back up and go someplace else. Even if doing so would be politically expedient.

As for Wright, I speculate that in Wright, Obama hoped he had found the father figure he never had. Wright married him to Michelle, baptized Malia and Tasha. Obama wanted to feel his family had the man's blessing.

Obama's ties to Wright are emotional. But as deep as they may be, there are no grounds to believe that he agrees with Wright politically, or that Wright has "influenced" him in the political realm. He was, after all, an adult when he first entered Trinity Church.

The media is excoriating Obama for not cutting his ties to Wright sooner. I have to say that I sympathize with him and admire him for holding on so long. It's hard to walk away from the idea of the father you never had, even when the surrogate you've chosen is letting you down and letting you down badly. It is a testament to Obama's character and integrity that he finds it so hard to behave in an expedient way when it comes to personal matters. Just as it's obvious when you see Barack and Michelle together that he totally loves her, I imagine that Barack loved the crusty old stinker Jeremiah Wright. How sad for him to have to let go.

McCain isnt tied to Hagee emotionally. It really was a political alliance and one that completely is more like the right describes Wright.

As you said, Obama chose a church for its community, not its pastors politics.

McCain on the other hand could care less about Hagees politics. He just wants the votes and the money. Just what price was demanded by Hagee? Especially when you consider that eight years ago McCain called Hagee and his people "agents of intolerance".

Barry & Michelle are social butterflies. They don’t have much in the way of religion.

That’s all Barry’s been doing for the last 3 years. I’m still trying to find some REAL accomplishments that he has done for our, your, his, country.

Nominated on sympathy votes. What a way to win a nomination, so sad.

And McCain? I didnt realize it was heroic to be in jail for the war-not to say he had a choice in the matter-but being a POW involves no accomplishments or strategy-while we honor him for his service-seriously-how is calling him a hero for being a POW not sympathy in a another form? Voting for McCain the "war hero" is a sympathy vote.

Obama rose from being one of these millions of fatherless young black men to becoming a US senator-pretty good-he wasnt a gang leader or a Black Panther-he overcame his background and he overcame a minister who was just a little bitter about the past to become a US Senator. How is THAT for an accomplishment?

I find it too passive to sit in a preacher's congregation for 20 years, and then conclude that you never knew that what that preacher said was so inflammatory and disrespectful. I think the difference with associates and family is that you choose the former, but cannot choose the latter - people have been letting -isms (racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) go by without challenging them for years because of this passive, excuse-making mentality.

So what is McCains excuse for Hagee?

And Bush said his DUI at 35 years old was a "youthful indiscretion".

Obama went to his community church-he chose a building, not a political leader. That his minister sometimes had some typically bitter opinions about a government that once called his entire race worth 2/3 of a human being is something I would endure. It isnt passive to tolerate what is accepted as a fact in the black community-that the US government was complicit for years in their slavery and the anti-black policies of the pre-civil rights era. A man that old who lived in the south during the pre-civil rights years has a right to be bitter about this government (not the country but the GOVERNMENT that indeed did participate in the institutional maltreatment of an entire race).

McCain has sought out a known hate monger and completely off the rocker member of the right in John Hagee. He is more than just anti-liberal. He preaches that all democrats are in league with Satan (cant wait until the conservative dems hear about this guy). McCain himself once called Hagee an agent of intolerance-now McCain is taking his money and speaking at his events. This isnt McCains local church as was the case with Obama-this is a conscious surrender to the most extreme right wing element-and we should rightfully ask just what price McCain is paying for their support.

RML

So it sounds like BHO grows up in a bad area but over came it just as a millions of other red blooded American boys have. That’s his REAL accomplishments that will help the US?

I guess from the accomplishments that you believe RML the President of either gender should just have to keep their nose clean and not be in a gang.

And if they do go to a church and don’t know what your pastor is saying about ours mine and his country put you stay a member anyway that is an accomplishment??

So sad.

Real RML:

The N. Vietnamese offered McCain an 'early release,' seeking the propanda value of releasing an admiral's son. McCain chose to remain a prisoner until his fellow prisoners were released in order to deny the N. Vietnamese that propaganda victory.

Compare that to John Fuckin' Kerry's giving the N. Vietnamese free propaganda that was used to demoralize POWs like McCain, and you just might begin to see why so many Vietnam vets despise Kerry to this day. 'Swift Boat' my ass.

McCain is no hero. He sat out the war in a prison camp. While he certainly should be honored for his service, many paid the ultimate price and others accomplished overcoming challenges. McCain survived a prison camp-surely painful and awful conditions, but this is now what makes a hero?

Obama was a BLACK man who managed to rise above not having a dad and joining a gang and BECOMING A SENATOR. So yeah, there arent a lot of black people who had Obama's background who got from where he was into college, business, and then finally became a senator. Im sorry you would prefer he been locked up in a prison camp or killed in a tower, then maybe he would be a hero right? So sad your definition of hero isnt about overcoming odds but rather surviving (or not surviving) tragic circumstances.

Kerry won a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. Kerry then used his right of free speech to help end a pointless war, saving untold thousands of American youth from the republican meatgrinder in Vietnam which Richard M Nixon would have happily kept filling if Kerry and others hadnt made it more painful to keep it going. Any Vietnam vet who thinks Kerry was wrong should consider their life and that of the others who came home-then THANK John Kerry for your life. Had Kerry been a good little rich boy and just shut his mouth like you wish he had, more of you would be six feet under instead of sitting at the local vets bar telling people how you would have won if you'd just napalmed a few more kids.

Are you being serious right now? Obama was never on this "journay"- you naively attempt to paint this novel for us, one in which Obama is on this personal adventure to find the father he never had. Give us a break.

People use the same defence for gang members. "Your honor, this man had nowhere else to go, and found that he belonged with this group." We are a product of our experiences, and the choices we make. Personal accountability is what makes this country the greatest country in the world. Obama knew the messeges Wright was spewing, and continued to go. There is no excuse for either the gang member, nor supporters of this animal- they made a choice.

Michelle Obama is even more warped and full of it than her husband is. Politicaly, Obama rolled the dice every time he went to hear this man speak. Now that he is caught, Obama did not hesitate to break ties because his relationship with this monster was "so deep." It is because he and his advisors were weighing the political raminficaitons for breaking ties with this man.

This explains McCain and Hagee how then?

At worst, Obama ignored the occassional statement from the local parish minister-he picked a building and has been going there for over two decades (so much for Godless democrats I guess).

Meanwhile McCain openly called Hagee an agent of intolerance but now all is forgiven since Hagee is giving McCain money and votes. But hey, he just claims all liberals are satans minions and that voting for them is sinful. But thats OK-when the cons side with a racist hate monger its called appealing to the base.

You must be insane. John McCain chose to endure torture rather than provide our enemies with the kind of propaganda Kerry gave them by slandering 2-1/2 million Vietnam vets as terrorists and war criminals. I'm sure those vets appreciate your telling them how they should feel about Kerry.

He can't hear you, and couldn't understand you if he did.

You must be insane.

## Im a lot more rationale than you it appears.

John McCain chose to endure torture rather than provide our enemies with the kind of propaganda

### Of course-now he has propaganda for HIS purposes. But then he didnt help stop the war-he rode it out in a POW camp. Not pleasent, but not heroic-heroes take action.

Kerry gave them by slandering 2-1/2 million Vietnam vets as terrorists and war criminals.

## Bullshite. Kerry said SOME soldiers lit homes on fire and fired blindly with automatic weapons into villages and other places with no idea of who and what would be hit. These are facts and only those soldiers guilty of same need be offended. To equate Kerry speaking the truth to demonizing every single Vietnam vet is truly a broad, sweeping lie on YOUR part.

I'm sure those vets appreciate your telling them how they should feel about Kerry.

### I really dont care personally what those vets THINK. I am glad they and many others are alive BECAUSE OF KERRY and other peaceful protestors who stopped the pointless, needless war known as Vietnam. Look it up jerk-The Gulf of Tonkin incident NEVER HAPPENED and the war was based on fabrication. We were not there fighting for freedom-we were there to stop US companies from being kicked out by the commies. If it cost 50,000 plus poor US kids to do it, who cares....plenty more where they came from. I believe Kerry was the greatest hero of his generation-because then and now he endures hate from war mongers like you because he ended the slaughter of innocents and of Americans for no good reason. Hate Kerry all you want. It wont change the fact he saved many of your friends, family, and neighbors from death or injury for no good reason.

Behold the tattered, semi-literate, whimpering remains of the once-great American Left.