Three weeks ago I wrote an article entitled “Obama’s religious dilemma,” which pointed out the political pitfalls of the Illinois senator’s association with his radical minister and “spiritual mentor,” Jeremiah Wright, and how Wright’s rhetoric contradicted the message of unity that Obama has espoused so vigorously throughout his campaign. In recent weeks, clips of Wright’s hateful and bigoted sermons have been played on many of the nightly newscasts, and for seemingly the first time since the race began in January, Obama has appeared vulnerable as his poll numbers declined. A Gallup poll released just yesterday showed that Hillary Clinton now has a better chance of beating John McCain than Obama does, a result not seen since last fall.

Obama saw the writing on the wall when the Wright controversy began to surface, and yesterday gave what his campaign described as a “major” speech on race and politics in Philadelphia. The speech was undoubtedly intended to alleviate the growing controversy and put Obama back in the headlines in a positive light. In the speech, Obama reiterated his denouncement of Wright’s more extreme comments, and has stated in the past that he was not in attendance at the church when such remarks were made. Obama went on to say yesterday that the man he met more than 20 years ago who led him to the Christian faith, performed his marriage ceremony and baptized his children is not the same man that the media has portrayed in recent weeks, citing Wright’s former service in the Marines and work to help those afflicted by AIDS and poverty.

I’m sure that many people will be shallow enough to hail Obama’s speech as some sort of historical benchmark and marvel at its progressive nature, but in doing so they will fail to realize that the senator is, in effect, trying to have it both ways. It was not until the mainstream media drew attention to Jeremiah Wright’s rhetoric that Obama denounced it publicly, but in pointing out the good works Wright has done, referring to him as “family” and claiming that he has been misinterpreted by the media, Obama’s denunciations of Wright’s bigoted remarks lose credibility. For a politician who has claimed for months that he has the ability to transcend racial boundaries and bring people together, Barack Obama should have had no connection whatsoever with a radical minister who has praised Louis Farrakhan, claimed that God should “damn” America and implied that the United States got what it deserved on Sept. 11.

For a presidential candidate we know so little about, one would think Obama would seek to completely disassociate himself from the newly revealed hateful and anti-American rhetoric of his “spiritual mentor,” but instead he has consistently and unashamedly embraced the man while rejecting his rhetoric, a position which I would argue is mutually exclusive. As eloquent as Obama’s speeches may sound on the surface, actions still speak louder than words. All things considered, one must wonder what Barack Obama truly means when he speaks of the need for “change” in America.

Joseph Goddard is a junior political science major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].