Guilt by PARTICIPATION

Thomas Sowell had it as guilt by alliance, Paul Mirengoff has it as guilt by participation. No matter how you slice it, Obama trying to protest that it's merely guilt by association is disingenuous at best. Here is the start of the Mirengoff column; it's worth a complete read:

As the race for president heads into the homestretch, the McCain campaign finally seems willing to raise the matter of Barack Obama’s past radical associations. Obama’s links to the far left are easily established.

In fact, he has been closely associated with leaders of two of the vilest, most virulently anti-American forms of modern homegrown radicalism: the "black liberation theology" movement and the domestic terrorism movement of the 1960s.

For two decades, Obama regularly worshipped at Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity Church. Obama has described Wright as his spiritual mentor. Wright's sermons were filled with anti-American, racist raving. For example, he implored God to “damn America” and he charged the U.S. government with inventing the AIDS virus to kill black people.

Obama contends that he skipped church on the days Wright indulged in these sorts of rants. But there is no doubt that Obama knew what Wright was preaching. According to Wright, when Obama withdrew an invitation to attend the event at which Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency, he explained to the pastor, “you can get kind of rough in the sermons.” Indeed.

In his autobiography Obama writes that he was essentially a non-believer when he first met Wright, and that he was attracted to the reverend’s flock precisely by virtue of the pastor’s political and social ideas. In other words, Wright became Obama’s pastor because of, not despite, Wright’s ideology.

Well, the Phils aren't off to a great start, but here's hoping...