COME BACK, GERALDINE, ALL IS FORGIVEN:

Thomas comments reflect Obama's bias (Armstrong Williams, August 25, 2008, Townhall)

As I sit here in Denver, reporting from a Democratic convention that is turning out to be anything but conventional, I am reminded of the struggle that black conservatives have had to endure by going against the grain. In many ways, Sen. Barack Obama's ordeal within his own party mirrors that of black conservatives; the fact that he has to go to the convention under a cloud of uncertainty; the fact that he has struggled for respect and legitimacy from the old guard, whether it be the Clintons or Jesse Jackson. All this harkens back to a time over two centuries ago when a convention of sorts was held to judge the legitimacy of one of America's first black conservatives; the poet Phyllis Wheatley.

Wheatley's first book of poetry, published in 1771, contained a curious note "The Publick" in the forward. It seems that a panel of 18 of the "most respected characters in Boston," including the then-governor of Massachusetts and John Hancock, one of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence, had convened to consider the authenticity of her work. Given the prevailing attitudes about blacks in that day, it was beyond belief that a slave girl could have composed poetry of such impeccable quality; everyone questioned their authenticity, and it took a panel of recognized experts to quell the doubt of a disbelieving public.

Not everyone was convinced, though. In response to a French colleague's praise of Wheatley's work, President Thomas Jefferson retorted, "[T]he compositions published under her name are below the dignity of criticism." Jefferson's response not only revealed his contempt, but by using the term "published under her name" expressed a serious doubt as to whether Wheatley had even written the works ascribed to her. Mr. Obama's comments about Justice Clarence Thomas' qualifications, made in response to a question put to him last week by political forum moderator Rev. Rick Warren, are resoundingly similar to those of Jefferson's rejection of Wheatley. When asked by Rev. Warren which of the Justices he would not have confirmed, Mr. Obama blurted out, seemingly without consideration, "I don't think [Mr. Thomas] was a strong enough legal jurist or legal thinker at the time for that elevation; setting aside the fact that I profoundly disagree with his interpretation of a lot of the Constitution." To paraphrase his jargon for the non-jurists among us; before we even reach the issue of what Justice Thomas thinks, we must first dismiss him as a non-thinker.

That's still better than what his new running mate said about Justice Thomas:

"I think that the only reason Clarence Thomas is on the Court is because he is black. I don't believe he could have won had he been white. And the reason is, I think it was a cynical ploy by President Bush."

Hard to see any difference between that and what Geraldine Ferraro said of the Unicorn Rider himself.

Posted by Orrin Judd at August 25, 2008 7:19 AM