Lead us not into the temptations of identity politics

Maybe I'm just too idealistic; but I need to say this. It’s time Democrats get past the racial and gender issues that have been stirred up in the current primary campaign. I would like to hear Sen. Obama say, “I respect Pres. Clinton and want to remind all of you that he has a strong record of supporting the rights of minorities during a time of intense pressure from Newt Gingrich and the social conservatives on the right wing. Let’s accept that Mr. Clinton had no intent to inject racism into the compaign and move on. Democrats need to get back to the dire issues that are at stake in this presidential election.”

In this spirit, I would also like to see Sen. Clinton speak out to support Sen. Obama’s relationship with Rev. Wright. The truth is, Sen. Clinton fully understands where Rev. Jeremiah Wright is coming from. She would earn my utmost respect if she got on Fox News and said, “Rev. Wright is speaking from a tradition of fiery prophetic preaching in the African-American Christian tradition. We may reject his views but we should try to understand them. Furthermore, we should not judge my opponent, Sen. Obama, because he attended Rev. Wright’s church. Sen. Obama respects his elders but his views clearly are not the same as those of Rev. Wright. Let’s get back to the issues and I’ll tell you why you should vote for me instead of Sen. Obama.” Now,, that would be real, unifying leadership. Where is the unifying leadership we need at this crucial time?