The Audacity of Gullibility

David Jeffers, a religion columnist at New Media Journal, describes "The Deep Faith of Barack Obama." His analysis dissects a 2004 interview with Obama that is -- to be frank -- quite disturbing given what we now know about his relationships and judgment.

...First, Senator Obama says in the interview:

So that, one of the churches I met, or one of the churches that I became involved in was Trinity United Church of Christ. And the pastor there, Jeremiah Wright, became a good friend. So I joined that church and committed myself to Christ in that church.

By now most Americans know about the controversy swirling around Reverend Wright and the majority of people do not believe that Senator Obama could be a member of that church and not know about Reverend Wright's racist tendencies. But what if he is telling the truth, what if he didn't know?

Then there is something more troubling and it brings into question Senator Obama's judgment and his ability to evaluate people's motives and desires. How is it possible that a grown man educated in an Ivy League school could be taken completely by surprise over Jeremiah Wright's behavior? When asked if he had people in his life he looked to for guidance, Senator Obama responded:

Well, my pastor is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for... I have a number of friends who are ministers. Reverend Meeks is a close friend and colleague of mine in the state Senate. Father Michael Pfleger is a dear friend and somebody I interact with closely.

Add on to Senator Obama's list his dear friend convicted felon Tony Rezko and his associate, domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, and we have a pattern here. And if it is true that Barack Obama was completely fooled and surprised by the behavior of these four men, three of whom he says "...is not the man I knew", then that leads to a very important question.

How are we to trust this man to sit across the negotiating table with the likes of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, or Venezuela's Hugo Chavez? Senator Obama has already stated that he would initiate "tough negotiations" with these four countries and yet he is unable to know the hearts and minds of three close friends and one political associate?

Those are damn good questions.

Hat tip: Larwyn