It's All Wright

After Jeremiah Wright's appearance on Bill Moyers Journal on Friday evening, I was surprised to see little or no mention of it in the media. See also, Why Is It So Quiet After the Moyers-Wright Interview?.

The blog Make it Stop! Make it Stop! expressed my thoughts on the interview exactly, The Wright stuff:

I hope everyone saw the Bill Moyers interview with Senator Obama's former minister, Jeremiah Wright. From the media coverage and the fiery Youtube video footage--very selectively edited, of course--I was convinced I was going to behold the devil incarnate, right there on pbs. What I found instead was an eminently personable, highly educated and thoughtful individual who kept Bill and the audience spellbound for the whole hour with commentary on the Bible, African-American history, his ministry and congregation, American culture and yes, politics.

See also Wright Is Right-On Bill Moyers Last Night and Jeremiah Wright on Bill Moyers' Journal.

Of course, I didn't understand what all the fuss was about to begin with, since his words expressed the truth, albeit in fiery prose. See Point, Counter-Point. But that was never the point. If the press (and his opponents) couldn't find much of anything in Barack Obama's past or his record to belittle, then try his friends and associates-- a la Jeremiah Wright.

And rather than expose Wright as the reasonable, intelligent man that he is, as was evident in his Moyers' interview, the media waited for the remaining appearances that Wright had planned before the NAACP and the National Press Club over the past few days, since he was sure to say something that could be construed as inflammatory when taken in snippet. Which he did. And they did. Obama Addresses Ex-Pastors Media Blitz.

To see the real Wright, go watch the Moyers' video.

As an aside, it's also interesting that despite the news blackout on the interview, Bill Moyers' blog received over 1800 posts on the interview, mostly positive.