Without passing any judgment on the Obama campaign’s responses to the controversial remarks of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, here are a few random thoughts and a bit of linkage.

Elderta at End of the Boom offers an analysis. In part, she says…

Actions produce effects. Effects produce consequences. If, as Rev. Wright suggests, you or I or we believe in God (or not), we have to examine ourselves and our actions. We have to self-examine, question, and form a rational basis for the next move. From Wright’s Christian standpoint, and as talked about in the start of his sermon, he states outright that our actions as a nation have not been completely honorable. It takes a lot of verve to say that our actions have all been virtuous. It takes a lot of head-in-the-sand mentality to think we are perfect.

I ask you today: did you think of the consequences of that day? Did you self-examine your heart that day? Did you cry out to God for revenge? Did you feel the anger within your soul and what did you want to do with that anger if you did? Where you ready to kill without looking at the reasons behind that horrible day of September 11, 2001? …

It occurred to me after reading Elderta’s words that Rev. Wright wasn’t the only person thinking in terms of the future in the immediate aftermath of 9/11/2001.

Many among us don’t quite grasp the full concept of why the rest of the world doesn’t buy into the notion American exceptionalism, 9/11 or not. There were very few people in a hyper-jingoistic post-9/11 America who had the guts to ask us to look at ourselves in the mirror, and understand the causes of the attacks before we thrust ourselves headlong into a bloodlust for revenge. Wright was one of those people. Bill Maher was another, and he was fired for speaking inconvenient truths about “why they hate us”.

Unfortunately, those who took a critical look at the causes and effects were, by and large, few and far between. Even though they existed, their voices were largely drowned out in the media by the high pitch of drum beats for war.

Various media outlets are now taking on Jeremiah Wright’s successor at the pulpit, Otis Moss, and it’s not pretty. This controversy simply isn’t going to die for the Obama campaign. Last Wednesday, NPR’s Michele Norris (as close to a GOP flack as one could ever find in public radio) conducted what can best be described as a contentious interview with Rev. Moss. Can we presume that Ms. Norris would ever ring up one of John McCain’s spiritual advisors Rod Parsley or John Hagee and asked such pointed questions (and repeatedly demand answers for questions which weren’t answered)? Of course not.

And today, Fox News dissected Rev. Moss’ Easter sermon at the church that Barack Obama attends. The headline? In Easter Sermon, Trinity United Pastor Compares Rev. Wright to Jesus.

I don’t pretend to know where this is all going, and I remain uncommitted to either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama in the Democratic Party Semi-Finals of Presidential Idol. At the risk of being redundant, either candidate is head and shoulders above what the GOP is offering. However, this tempest-in-a-teapot issue is simply not going away, nor will the legacy media allow it to die a quick, Republican death (as they have with McCain’s embrace of Parsley and Hagee).

We deserve better.