Now that the anointed one, Barack Obama, will be the Democrat nominee for President, I'd like to submit just one more chapter to the painful book that is part of what defines him, his close-knit circle of radical activist advisors.
This week in the Chicago Sun-Times, a chilling column appeared which featured an "exclusive" interview with Rev. Michael Pfleger, the Catholic priest whose ugly, racist rhetoric from the pulpit of Sen. Obama's chosen church led to the candidate's resignation from the congregation.
Father Mike, as he is evidently known by people of questionable judgment who support him, wasn't particularly remorseful. In fact, the banner headline quoted him as saying, "This is a dangerous time in America...you have to whisper your thoughts."
Anyone who saw the now-famous video would never confuse Rev. Pfleger's shrieking and ranting from the pulpit with whispering.
One might shrug off the Pfleger and Jeremiah Wright controversies as over and done with, a pesky problem for Sen. Obama that has been effectively eliminated by Obama's denouncement of the church he and his family have attended for many years.
That would be a huge mistake. As my colleague Michael Medved pointed out last week, Barack Obama has referred to Rev. Pfleger as one of his three spiritual mentors (Rev. Wright being the second -- I'm almost afraid of who the third might be). Until quite recently, Pfleger was a key advisor to the Obama campaign.
So let's examine the character and integrity of a man who has been such an important figure in the life of the Democrat who wants to be our next president.
The Chicago Sun-Times exclusive interview was conducted by a writer named Cathleen Falsani, such an over-the-top Obama cheerleader that when her editor told her that Rev. Pfleger wanted to talk with her, she initially refused, saying, "I'm pi**ed at him. How could (Pfleger) do this? He probably thinks I'm a sympathetic ear, but I'm not," she wrote. "I pretty much want to slap him."
But no newspaper type could possibly pass up the big scoop, so she managed to contain her rage long enough to get the big interview.
And something that Pfleger said to her is so stunning that it bears repeating. Again, this is the man who has been one of Sen. Obama's most trusted advisors.
Columnist Falsani asked Fr. Pfleger the obvious question: as a friend and passionate supporter of Obama's campaign for president, how could he do what he did from the Trinity Church pulpit with the cameras rolling?
His reply is one of the most shocking things I've ever heard from anyone in the position of priest, pastor, rabbi, teacher, coach, or anyone in a role of moral leadership.
This is directly from the column:
'Pfleger's short answer? He didn't think the service and his "conversation" -- a more casual address than a classic sermon, he explained -- were being broadcast live online, as Trinity often does. 'They told me it was down,' Pfleger said. 'Their live streaming had been down all day, and they didn't know whether it was back up...I regret...that I was naive enough to believe (this) was just going to be kept among the church.' "
Let his answer marinade in your mind for a moment. The only reason he referred to Hillary Clinton as basically a white supremacist is that he thought the cameras weren't working.
It's been said that the very definition of integrity is how someone behaves when he or she thinks no one is watching. By that litmus test, this pathetic "priest" failed miserably. His total and complete moral abdication should disqualify him from being in a position to pastor anyone.
And his sorry excuse for an explanation comes right back to the doorstep of the man so many millions seem to think is the great hope for America, the junior senator from Illinois.
Is it possible that Sen. Obama condones such ugly language? Could it be that Barack and Michelle Obama are capable of surrounding themselves with white-hating racists? If two of Obama's three declared spiritual advisors are such bigots, what does that say about the judgment of the Democrat nominee for president, not to mention his views on race relations?
There is a good reason that so many working-class, white voters have refused to vote for Sen. Obama during the primary process. Despite the whining of the mainstream media, it's not that white voters are afraid to vote for a black man. It's that they are unwilling to vote for a man who chooses vicious, angry radicals to guide him through life's many challenges.
Obama and his supporters might hope that come November, the controversy over his spiritual advisors and mentors will have faded away.
Those who love and cherish this country cannot let that happen. This matters.
The very definition of integrity is how someone behaves when he or she thinks no one is watching.
This time, we're watching, Senator.
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