As more of Reverend Wright’s pearls of wisdom come out (“We cannot see, however, what we are doing is the same thing al Qaeda is doing under a different colored flag, calling on the name of a different God to sanction and approve our murder and our mayhem”) and he reappears for an interview with Bill Moyers, there are many of us who are perplexed by John McCain’s reticence to discuss the matter.

But now we have Barack Obama’s thoughts. In an interview with Chris Wallace he says:

I think that people were legitimately offended by some of the comments that he had made in the past. The fact that he is my former pastor I think makes it a legitimate political issue….And so the question becomes, how do voters draw conclusions about my values? Do they talk about, do they look at the 20 years in which I’ve devoted my life to community service? Do they about the work I did as a community organizer working with Catholic parishes and churches to bring people together to set up job training programs for the unemployed and the poor? That’s a reflection of my values. Do they look at how I’ve raised my children and how I speak about my family? That’s a reflection of my values. I don’t think that the issue of Reverend Wright is illegitimate. I just think that the way it was reported was not I think a reflection of both that church that I attend and who I am.

Obama stumbles and mumbles a bit about when asked for particulars as to what he heard Wright say, and of course reverts to the “soundbite unfairness” mantra, but even he admits: This is fair game and he will need to explain how his devotion to Wright and choice of him as a “mentor” meshes with his post-racial rhetoric.

Now if he can say it, why can’t McCain? Well, perhaps looking for an excuse to get out of his political predicament (i.e. he can’t talk about a critical issue his likely opponent admits is a problem), McCain now seems to have walked through Obama’s open door. There was this exchange today at a press avail:

Question: Senator, the North Carolina GOP has continued to persist in this advertisement. I was wondering if you could talk about what steps, if any, you will continue to take?

McCain: I’ve stated my position very clearly that I don’t like the ad. I was interested that this morning Senator Obama said that it was a legitimate political issue. If he believes that, then it will probably be a political issue. I saw yesterday some additional comments that have been revealed by Pastor Wright, one of them comparing the United States Marine Corps with Roman legionnaires who were responsible for the death of our Savior. I mean being involved in that — it’s beyond belief. And then of course saying that Al Qaeda and the American Flag were the same flags. So I can understand — I can understand why the American people are upset about this. I can understand that Americans viewing these kinds of comments are angry and upset, just like they viewed Senator Obama’s statements about why people turn to their faith and their values. He believes that it’s out of economic concerns, when we all know that it’s out of fundamental belief, fundamental faith in this country and its values and its principles. Again, Senator Obama is out of touch. I can’t control and will not in the future control. I will voice my opinion and I will continue to think and to say that I think that ad should not be run. But I won’t continue to try to be the referee here.

And later:

Question: I just want to follow up on the Jeremiah Wright issue. you noted today that you saw that Obama said it’s a legitimate political issue, you’ve said previously it is not.

McCain: I have said that I will not have any comment on it and that because I thought and I believe that Senator Obama does not share those views. But Sen. Obama himself says it’s a legitimate political issue, so I would imagine that many other people will share that view, and it will be in the arena. But my position that Senator Obama doesn’t share those views remains the same.

Apparently all now agree: this is not an illegitimate issue.