Obama Must Again Distance Himself

It took me until about the second grade to figure out that John wasn't the type of kid I wanted to hang around with. His interest in smoking (sneaking one or two a day from his mother's purse) and the resultant stale smell were more than I wanted to rub close elbows with. John also used a vocabulary that was strikingly profane for someone so young. He uttered words both under his breath and over the playground cacophony that would have gotten my ears boxed had I been so bold.

But, what the heck did I know? I was about nine.

Is it odd that the obvious behavior and speech patterns amongst my peers affected my socialization? I gravitated toward those with whom I felt comfortable and I distanced myself from those whom I did not. Believe me, John was not an outcast for he had his own little group of smoking, swearing and stinky compatriots. He found out where he wanted to nest, and he did so. There was never any animosity between us, we just traveled in different circles.

It is becoming more and more obvious where Barack Obama has been nesting the past 20 years or so. Unfortunately for politicians, a person's past is just as important as a person's promises for the future. This is a lesson that Obama is now learning.

For me to believe that Obama is just now figuring out that some of those sharing his nest are race-baiters, Jew haters and anarchists is a bit of a stretch, at least for someone like me that began to pay attention to what people were doing and saying long before I knew all my state capitols.

Obama could use these shady associations to his benefit if he could point to one iota of evidence that he firmly rejected the beliefs of these people while he was still actively associated with them. At least that way we would know that his beliefs are contrary.

That he cannot do this either exposes his inability to understand even the simplest motivations and beliefs of those around him, exposes his reluctance to undertake vigorous debate with close associates with whom he disagrees, or more likely, is simply an example of what I learned in elementary.

Birds of a feather and all that.