The longer the race for the Democratic Party presidential candidate goes on, the worse it will be for whomever wins it, whether its Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Recently, the American media has made a storm out of Obama’s relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the pastor of Obama’s church. Nobody argues with the fact that Wright has said controversial things, but the media is spinning itself dizzy about whether It Means Something.

Obama responded as he typically does: with a speech clarifying his position. As is typical of the media coverage during this campaign, how one interprets his words depends entirely on what one’s political bent is, what chair one sits in, the phase of the moon, what day of the week it is, and, well… you be the judge. Here are some sample headlines pulled from major American, British and Canadian news web sites (click for a larger version):

Below, for the record, are some of Obama’s actual words from his actual speech. I find them lucid and eloquent, and it’s hard to imagine why it shouldn’t put an end to the whole, silly affair. Let’s move on.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Rev. Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain.

Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely — just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice.

Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country — a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America, a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Rev. Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems — two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

P.S.: If you’ve never heard or watched Obama speak at any length, it’s worth doing. He just doesn’t sound like a politician; he sounds like he’s above all the rancour and the noise.