The Logic of a Centerpiece

I'm not planning to write about Barack Obama's speech this week, although it was a fine example of trying to bring some of the complexity of life to the oversimplified microcosm of politics.

But I couldn't help noticing one quote about the situation from Peter King, a Republican member of Congress. King was quoted as saying, "I think it's an obligation of any opponent to use this issue, to make Reverend Wright a centerpiece of the campaign."

When I read that, I thought, How typical. Not of Republicans -- no, of politics as usual.

So I resonated strongly with a letter that ran in today's Pioneer Press by Claudia Haas of White Bear Lake. After quoting Rep. King's statement, Claudia wrote:

I would be more interested in the Republicans making: a) the economy, b) the war in Iraq, c) health care, d) the core of corruption in corporate America, e) education, f) global warming, g) diplomatic roads to peace and many other things the centerpiece of the presidential campaign. But maybe that's not the point.

I would add that it's not just the Republicans. It's politics as usual that cannot talk about what is actually important and has to make centerpieces of personalities that are essentially irrelevant to the core issues.