Adam,

I understand and empathize with your concern. So here's a better parallel for you. I consider myself a supporter of Israel, but I also believe that blind support for the Likud position is not the only way to be a "Pro-Israel" American Jew. Nevertheless, I'd imagine in nearly any conservative synagogue in America, I would hear the same sort of denunciations of "The Palestinians" (writ large) that I heard in my synagogue growing up. It's a creepy form of borderline racism that makes me grind my teeth for the rest of the sermon. But I certainly know that in Detroit - where I grew up - there just wasn't an option for a synagogue with a vibrant community within my particular movement where I could hear sermons with which I always agreed. Nor would I want to leave behind my community to wallow alone in the ignorance of its leaders. I would rather stay by the people who mean so much to me and engage them, confront them, educate them. By denouncing Wright's rhetoric but not removing himself from the man, Obama has made the same choice.