Redding: Jackson may abandon Obama

Jan. 4, 2008, 12:20 a.m. - The Rev. Jesse Jackson seems to be pulling his support away from Sen. Barack Obama, a fellow Democrat, in recent weeks.

Last week the civil rights icon would not answer a question about where his support stands for Obama to win the Democratic presidential primary, when asked by a Fox News reporter following the death of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

The reporter asked: "Reverend Jackson, just shifting to politics for a second, you're behind Barack Obama. In light of what has happened today (Bhutto's assassination), do you still think that Barack Obama is the right person to shepherd our country through the War on Terror?"

Jackson responded: "Well, I think that all the candidates must now show their -- their grit and their true worth of patriotism. He is as capable as [is] the rest of them on dealing with this issue. Of course, I think what's missed is not just that in my judgment. I think we must not underestimate the danger (inaudible) in the cost of Pakistan. In that place, Al Qaeda is in the hills. Taliban is in the hills. The drug trade is coming through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the mountains. They have their nuclear weapons [in] there. The guy who gave the military nuclear weapons to North Korea and Iran is there. It is a dangerous place, and so, whoever leads must now step-up and show and give American people the sense of confidence that they can lead."

This the 10th time I have read the above response and I still cannot find an answer in Jackson's intentionally convoluted response. Maybe he doesn't want a response on Obama's foreign policy fitness to come back to haunt him should Obama be elected president.

In an editorial in November, he wrote that Obama's challenger former Sen. John Edwards was the only presidential candidate who hasn't "virtually ignored" the plight of blacks.

He also said early last month that none of the candidates have adequately addressed the subprime lending crisis gripping America.

The highlight of his Obama-bashing came during a speech at Benedict College in South Carolina in September when he reportedly said the candidate is "acting like he's white." He was referring to Obama's response to the "Jena Six" march. Jackson, who felt Obama and others could have done more, has since said his remarks were taken out of context.

Finally, one can only look at the fact that Jackson has also not been doing a lot of campaigning for Obama as an indicator that he is not fully behind him. Now aren't you supposed to stump for people you endorse, or maybe Jackson is just too busy?

Anyway, I think it is safe to say that Jackson may be regretting his decision to endorse Obama. I would not be surprised if he began campaigning for rivals Edwards or Sen. Hillary Clinton, should they win the nomination.

(Robert "Rob" Redding Jr. is the Publisher of the Washington Continent, Redding News Review and author of "Hired Hatred: Why politicians, political parties & the political prejudices they tout are mutually exclusive from good government.")