World is Bigger than You Think
Douthat-domma-Ross despairs:
Falwell's 9/11 comments, and General William Boykin's "my God is bigger than your God" remarks - both provoked controversies that ended in public apologies, albeit of the mealy-mouthed, "I'm sorry if you were offended" variety. Whereas I'm not holding my breath waiting for Reverend Jeremiah Wright to "clarify" his remarks.)
Really? I'm not so sure. I could see him trying to clarify the distortions related to (a) factual errors on his part and (b) dangerous mis-perception caused by playing a few clips, without dropping suggestions that actually provoke real debate and reflection.
Honestly, I don't think the Right may be willing to accept a statement. Certainly, the Priesthood at FOX is unlikely to, if the past is any guide. They have their poll that says their viewership feels strongly about it. Bet that they will be off to the races. Someone will be in the Trinity pew, most likely, until the election, watching, waiting.
ON HIV/AIDS
I wouldn't be surprised if Wright came out and said that the rightwing media via Hannity, et. al., have focused on very old comments he made about HIV/AIDS. "People should understand that the disease is caused by a virus and there is no evidence that a government created it".
As I recall, his remarks may have been in the context of not trusting what the government says. Tell us, Ross, how safe was the air at ground zero during the clean-up? No "real" Gulf-I syndrome? We know the government experimented on soldiers - yeah, you know, America's finest - because they could. The list goes on. Tuskegee is another notorious ... episode.
ON 9/11
I think Wright could issue a brief statement that, based on what we now know of al-qa'ida's manifesto, no one should think that al-qa'ida doesn't have it's own set of motivations, while still calling for America to stop being a "moral exceptionalist", even if he has to couch that in terms of a garnering broad public support worldwide to combat terrorist ideologies.
