The Rev. Jackson Owes God, Not Obama, an Apology

GULF OF MEXICO — There have been two constants in this presidential campaign: Sen. Barack Obama will discuss his faith openly and present some of today's most troublesome issues through a moral prism, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. will say something outlandish and stupid for which he will have to apologize.

First, he told a reporter in South Carolina last year that Obama was "acting white" in his response to the issues in Jena, La. Then the good reverend wrote an op-ed piece proclaiming that then-Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards was the only one speaking to issues of importance to African-Americans.

Now, in his most vile and pathetic comments yet, Jackson was overhead telling a fellow panelist prior to an interview on Fox that he was going to cut Obama's "nuts off" for his speeches on morality and fatherhood in the black community.

Rewind for a moment. An African-American reverend — someone who is called by God to speak to moral issues of the day — takes issue with an African-American presidential candidate speaking about faith-based issues, the need for black men to take care of their children, and the need for parents to care about their children's health and to turn the television off and start reading more books?

If there were any further evidence needed to show that the Rev. Jackson has lost his moral compass and is far out of touch with the state of black America today, this is it. And it is clear that Jackson has forgotten that as a minister, his first goal is to address moral issues before anything else.

I am on a long-awaited family reunion cruise and was doing all I could to stay away from work after a grueling primary season. But when I saw this story and the lame excuses the Rev. Jackson offered, nothing could keep me from jotting down a few words.

Folks, I have written on numerous occasions what it was like as a teen to see Jackson stand before the Democratic national conventions in 1984 and 1988 and give two of the finest speeches in history (both are on my iPod). He has left a significant legacy by his work on behalf of civil rights.

But all of the good that he has accomplished is withering away because of his ego run amok and his unwillingness to step aside and allow the next generation of leaders to take their rightful place. He has long claimed the mantle of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and has run with that baton as fast and as hard as he can. Yet what he continues to do is tarnish his legacy and leave a bad aftertaste in the mouths of folks today who were babes when "Run, Jesse, Run" was a rallying cry across the nation.

What is especially galling is that Jackson would make such an idiotic comment about a man who is trying desperately to advance the issues near and dear to African-Americans — and all Americans — while also speaking truth to the major problems affecting the black community.

Jackson seems to want Obama to shut up on the issue of black men fathering children out of wedlock and not taking care of their responsibilities.

And that nonsense about talking down to black people? That's the kind of BS I've always heard, and it's Jackson's way of saying Obama thinks he is better than other black folks. That's right. It's just another way of calling him uppity.

Part of the problem could be that figures such as Jackson have lost a lot of their moral standing, often by their own doing. The Rev. Jackson can't necessarily give the same speech Obama gave because Jackson committed adultery and had a child out of wedlock several years ago. He's taking care of the young girl, but another child being raised by a single mother — even if it carries the last name Jackson — is part of the problem in black America. (Yeah, I said it; someone has to stop dancing around the elephant in the room.)

The issue of the black family — and the destruction of it — is the main problem we face (something that will be dealt with on CNN's "Black in America" series, premiering July 23). We can talk ad nauseam about education and wealth creation, but when you have seven out of 10 children born out of wedlock, those single women having to raise those children all alone, and the rampant black-on-black crime — fueled by many of these same children — that proves we have issues that must be confronted, from the pulpit to the pew.

Instead of trying to tear Obama down or anyone else who is sick and tired of the moral decay in parts of black America, Jackson should be joining the chorus of those who say, "Enough is enough."

I was at the Essence Music Festival over the July 4th weekend in New Orleans, and more than 5,000 people crammed into the Morial Convention Center to hear Bill Cosby speak from the same template as Obama. He didn't hold back or mince words. He discussed domestic violence, the lack of educational achievement, and the need for black parents to raise their game. Jackson previously stood with Cosby, especially when Cosby caught heat for his words, so why isn't what's good for America's Dad good for the guy who wants to be America's president?

Instead of denouncing, Jackson and others should praise Obama, Sen. John McCain and other political leaders who are willing to raise their voices to moral issues today.

And if the Rev. Jackson or others have a problem with a politician speaking truth to African-Americans, the hell with them.

As a child of God, I gladly will stand on the side of any man or woman, Republican or Democrat, who is willing to say what's right. Not what's popular.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN contributor and the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." Please visit his Web site at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.