Fear of Barack

They're already scared of Barack.

A New York Democrat is backtracking from what he called "a thoughtless comment" about Barack Obama, saying the presidential candidate didn't have "the political courage" to leave his church earlier over its controversial pastor.

Where is he wrong?

Rep. Jerrold Nadler of Manhattan was visiting a synagogue in Boca Raton, Fla., Sunday when he was confronted by Obama critics who wanted to know why the candidate hadn't ended his association earlier with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Obama severed ties with Wright this year after videotapes surfaced showing the pastor making anti-American statements from the pulpit of the Chicago church where Obama worshipped for 20 years.

Nadler said he was guessing that Obama "didn't have the political courage" to leave the church earlier.

Sounds like a reasonable guess. What's your explanation?

"It tells me that he wasn't terribly politically courageous. Does it tell me he agrees with the reverend in any way? No," Nadler says. Blurry video of the exchange was posted by Pamela Geller at the blog Atlas Shrugged.

"I made a thoughtless comment yesterday which does not reflect the way I feel about Barack Obama," Nadler said in a statement Monday, adding that he is campaigning in Florida for Obama "because I feel so strongly about the importance of Barack Obama becoming our next president."