and the abject absence of a truly honest and principled discussion of his disturbing past subsidy of it.

A more honest candidate might have explained why a future president of the United States should never have abetted the racialist mentality, by encouraging, by his presence and purse at Trinity, some to blame others for their problems, and why as people first we cannot advance our own careers and agendas by investing in the tribe rather than in transcendent ideas and values.

So here we have the Obama paradox: The more he poses, and is praised, as the post-racial healer, the more 25 years of his career belie the rhetoric. In short, he now talks far more humanely than most about race, but the way in which he started and nourished his career proves that he was also far more cynical and divisive than most.

As far as the rest of the campaign goes, I think we pretty much know the script and the Obama rules to come: as long as Obama stays ahead by 3-5 points, race will be framed in optimistic terms as irrelevant, or proof of Obama’s racial transcendence and statemanship. But if the race becomes dead even or Obama falls increasingly behind for questions having to do with inexperience or serial gaffes or fears over Carteresque doctrinaire liberalism, then we will hear that race, racial fears, etc. are largely to blame.

All that is the legacy of Obama’s long ago Faustian bargain with Rev. Wright.

McCain supports Obama on Wright