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I think that the only honorable thing he can do is admit to 1) being influenced by Wright but he’s better now; 2) not paying close enough attention; 3) apologizing to us whities; 4) severing ties with that church - wife and children too; 5) hit the lights and go into his hope and change speech. He won’t do that but that’s what he should do. I want an apology. I look at the black people I encounter now and feel like the racial divide has widened and is too wide to cross in my generation. It makes me very sad.

I agree. He might be able to undo some damage by apologizing, but his campaign is dead. All of his best excuses now focus on:

1) My judgement wasn't very good
2) I'm not a good judge of other people's character
3) I often don't pay attention to what people say to me
4) I am easily misled

These are not good defenses for a misstep in a presidential campaign. But what else does he have??

I look at the black people I encounter now and feel like the racial divide has widened and is too wide to cross in my generation.

I think you're hitting on the essence of why this mess with Obama is so disturbing/frightening. We do look at the folks we live with in our neighborhoods, work with, socialize with .... and now we ARE seeing color again .... and wondering if these folks have an 'Obama' veneer that hides the anti-American, white racist views espoused by J. Wright. Are these people we thought we 'knew' going to the kind of church that Obama goes to on Sundays and feeling this way, but hiding it from 'us'? I would differ by saying that based on what I'm seeing with J.Wright, the racial divide didn't widen, it has been wide all along, but like a deep wound, the outside skin healed over to hide a major festering abscess. Obama's candidacy and attention to J.Wright's philosophy has opened the abscess for all to see and be repelled.

I also think that Obama has used this church and its extreme views to prove to himself and others that he is 'black enough'. If he totally repudiates this ..... then what? Not 'black enough', not 'white enough' ..... just another less-than-mediocre politician with the unmitigated arrogance to think he's qualified to be president and now both blacks & whites are disburbed and upset with him. The Clintons don't have to say a word ..... Obama is like a fly caught on flypaper .... they don't have to pull off his wings to seal his doom.