Dear MSNBC,
I have watched for the last 45 minutes a group of wealthy white people on Morning Joe rip into the Obama campaign with regards to Reverend Wright's statements -- successfully and ridiculously extending this story into its third week (even though it barely deserved a third day).
ENOUGH! Wrap some duct tape around Pat Buchanan's high pitch mouth and delete the Reverend Wright lower-thirds from your production library.
Four years ago, your network tried to out-FOX the FOX News Channel on the Swift Boat Veterans issue. In that period of time, Pat Buchanan was on your network around the clock. Just like now. Only now, Buchanan is in his true comfort zone as a known race-baiter. This is inexcusable, especially considering that Buchanan has been recently quoted as implying that slavery was ultimately a positive thing.
Everyone else has moved on, MSNBC. Moved on to Senator McCain's lack of knowledge on Iran; moved on to the huge financial crisis the Bush administration has created by its non-regulation and tax cuts for the super rich; moved on to 4,000 Americans killed in Iraq (which your network didn't mention in the entire 8AM hour this morning); and so many other things.
I urge you to listen to Senator Obama's "Philadelphia Address" (you can use that) again. When he talked about distractions -- distractions that occur again and again and again -- he was talking to you and your fellow cable news networks, MSNBC. If you can't talk about anything other than these surrogate fights -- these distractions -- instead of the issues that are important to your viewers, you are running against the current of history.
Future historians will look at Senator Obama's Philadelphia Address and ask, What was he talking about in terms of distractions? And who perpetuated them? Do you really want to be named as the answer to those questions?
Bob Cesca
3/24/08