I would have thought that Jeremiah-gate, the controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s pastor Jermiah Wright, would be over by now, but it’s still being talked about. Even Hillary Clinton herself brought it up, saying, “He would not have been my pastor. You don’t choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend.”

Of course, you can choose your husband, but I’ll let that one go.

What’s all the fuss about? Let’s looks at three Revered Wright quotes:

1) On 9/11: “[N]ow we are indignant, because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”

2) On AIDS: “The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color”

3) On American morality “[t]he government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people… God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme.”

In #1, Wright claims that Americans are culpable in 9/11, that the attacks were payback for something we did. This idea remains controversial, even though, as Ron Paul pointed out, the 9/11 commission said basically the same thing.

#2 can be placed in the category of nutty conspiracy theories. This isn’t inflammatory; it’s silly, like fluoridation.

#3 is kind of a hodge-podge, with a nutty conspiracy theory (giving people drugs), bitter denunciation of government policies, and religious condemnation of America.

How bad is this stuff? Let’s compare it to what’s been said by another religious leader: John Hagee, Senior Pastor of the Cornerstone Church, whose endorsement John McCain sought and received.

Hagee claimed that Hurricane Katrina was punishment against New Orleans for “a level of sin that was offensive to God.” He’s also said that “those who live by the Qur’an have a scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews.” And he’s said, “Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews.”

Nutty conspiracy theories? Check. Religious judgments? Check. Offensive political views? Check.

McCain, by the way, has rejected Hagee’s Anti-Catholicism, but not his endorsement.

McCain’s so-called spiritual advisor, Rod Parsley, has also said some pretty offensive things about Islam, insinuating that mainstream Islam espouses violence, and that America “was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed.”

So why all the controversy surrounding Wright, and not McCain’s preachers? Is it racism? Is it because the Democratic race is still going strong and therefore draws more attention? Is it because people are more offended by the words “God damn America” than they are by “All Muslims are out to kill us”?

Undoubtedly, these are all factors. But I’d like to put forth another idea. The Wright controversy is a logical extension of the current climate of politics, which pressures candidates to stop associating themselves with people who make controversial statements. Statements by Geraldine Ferraro, Samantha Powers, and Louis Farrakhan have all become controversies that the respective campaigns have had to manage.

The other strange mandate of the current climate of politics is that all of our leaders be religious. A Gallup pollshowed that of all minorities — blacks, homosexuals, Mormons, etc. — the group that people would be least likely to vote for was atheists.

So all of our leaders must be religious. Leaders that are religious often associate with religious leaders. But religious leaders are always controversial! Would we force a Catholic candidate to denounce the Pope if the Pope condemned the United States for allowing abortion? Would we make a Mormon candidate denounce Brigham Young?

One of the things Obama was trying to say in his recent speech on race is that you can condemn something someone says but not condemn the person. John McCain would do well to agree with this statement (as didMike Hukabee), seeing as some of his associates have said things that would make even Reverend Wright blush.

– Hillel Aron