Edward Luttwak’s column in today’s NYT makes what may turn out to be quite an important point.

I hesitate to add anything to the torrent of commentary on Sen. Obama’s press conference performance yesterday.  However, there is one line in it that is not getting the attention it deserves.  It occurs early in his remarks.  Here it is in full, with the troubling language in bold:

His [Wright's] comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church.

To whom is Sen. Obama referring when he speaks of “those who prey on hate”?  One possibility is that he is referring to fringe groups that most Americans would agree are defined by their hatred — the Klan, etc.  That’s a possibility.  Maybe there is some evidence that groups actually predicated on racial hatred have sought to exploit the Rev. Wright situation, but I am unaware of any news reports of Klan PR campaigns directed to this end.  Maybe I am simply ill-informed.

There is another possible meaning in Obama’s phrase, however.  I worry that Sen. Obama may tend to view anyone who opposes him as someone who ”prey[s] on hate.”  As Victor Davis Hanson has pointed out, Obama often refers to unnamed others who seek to “distract” voters and “divide” voters and so on.   But there’s something even more disturbing about the “those who prey on hate” formulation.  If

those who prey on hate = GOP, or even

those who prey on hate = GOP + Democrats and Independents who don’t support Obama,

then don’t be surprised if conservatives develop a somewhat paranoid view of the Senator’s crusade for “change.”

are up at Scrappleface.

Ross Douthat nails it:

I have no doubt that many, many Democratic politicians have put in an appearance at churches whose pastors share Wright’s outlandish political views without anyone kicking up a fuss, just as Republican politicians have long accepted the support of figures like Falwell without taking too much heat about it. The distinction here, for the umpteenth time, is that Wright isn’t just Obama’s supporter; he’s his pastor, his friend, and his spiritual mentor, which makes him exactly the kind of person whose views ought to be of interest to a public that’s considering electing Barack Obama President of the United States.

Read the entire post. It’s worth your time.

Consider this an open thread to discuss the substance, style, and likely impact of Obama’s speech re: Rev. Wright’s incendiary (and repulsive) comments on the dem-nomination race.

Update: My buddy, Erick Erickson, was not at all impressed. Charles Murray, on the other hand, thought it was “flat-out brilliant.”