This is my very first attempt at a diary, so here goes... go easy on me. :-)

The ongoing furor about the Jeremiah Wright story has missed the mark in my opinion.  Does it have something to do with race in America?  Sure it does.  But when you look at the specific soundbites they have excerpted, it is even more wrapped up in something else.  While columnists and MSM anchors rage on about race and inflammatory comments, the real issue is a twisted definition of patriotism that has been abused and exploited by right-wing politicians and media types over the last seven years.  

All of the analysis of Reverend Wright's truncated soundbites has revolved around this "nationalistic" question of  whether he is a "real American" or not.  And whether Obama is a "real American" if he heard any of these statements while sitting in a congregation on a Sunday morning.  And whether anyone in Trinity's congregation is a "real American" who heard the comments.  And whether anyone who preaches black liberation theology is a "real American."

This analysis caricatures our identity as Americans, and reinforces right-wing visions that attempt to suppress dissent in our nation.