Obama Issues the "Wright" Denial

Here's Barack's statement trying to distance himself from the inflammatory remarks of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. It's somewhat odd that he'd choose late afternoon on a Friday for such a statement -- at least if he wants it to be widely disseminated . . .

Barack insists that Wright has never been "my political advisor; he's been my pastor." Fair enough. But is it possible to embrace someone as your pastor if they're loudly and aggressively voicing political sentiments that are truly repugnant to you -- even if the objectionable remarks haven't been made in your presence? (As an orthodox Episcopalian, trust me -- this problem can make an "embraceable" priest hard to find in a Church that's quickly drifting hard-leftward).

Somehow, I suspect that Barack Obama would have more trouble making the "political advisor/pastor distinction" with a clergyman who made ugly, anti-minority remarks (rightly so), or, say, one who loudly and repeatedly condemned abortion as the murder of innocents. If he'd shun them, and yet has to some degree tolerated Wright, doesn't that raise a troubling question about just how strongly he actually objects to the pastor's comments?