Even when Fox Noise ties a pork chop around its neck

America still won't play with it:

The poll found that among registered voters, 25 percent said they had heard "a lot" about Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments, while 33 percent said they had heard some. Forty-two percent said they hadn't heard about the comments.

Fox News has made a cottage industry of Rev. Wright's comments, and that didn't start when it first broadcast the videotapes:

"Hannity selectively excerpted interview with Obama's pastor in order to paint him as 'separatist,'" Media Matters, March 22, 2007

"Hannity again selectively excerpted interview with Obama's pastor to claim church has 'black-separatist agenda,'" Media Matters, June 26, 2007

"Fox's Hannity again smeared pastor of Barack Obama's church as 'black separatist,'" Media Matters, June 28, 2007

"Hannity on Obama's pastor: 'It seems like he's supporting a segregated church,'" Media Matters, December 20, 2007

This has been Hannity's "War on Christmas," and Fox News finally got this ball rolling with very selective excerpts from the Rev. Wright's sermons. Funny thing is, it didn't work.

HEARD ABOUT REV. WRIGHT'S COMMENTS?
(Among registered voters)
A lot 25%
Some 33
Not much/none 42

For all their effort, FoxNews and the other cable channels and the blogosphere, only a few people were really interested in this kerfulffle. Overall, 65% of the respondents said Wright's comments made no difference to their opinion of Obama (read the PDF file in the article). Compare that to the poll results after Obama's speech on race. Again paraphrasing the PDF file: 63% agree with Obama's views on race relations in the US (that no. is 73% among Dems, 43% among Republicans). 71% thought he did a good job explaining Wright (which puts a pin in the balloon of every pundit who thinks Obama blew it, somehow or another). Only 24% think he did a poor job (mostly pundits, I guess). And 14% say it has made them more likely to vote for Obama (22% among Dems, 5% among Republicans, 11% among independents).

Meanwhile, William Kristol argues that so long as we don't talk about race in America, the racial situation in America will continue to improve. What white people don't know, can't hurt 'em. Not surprisingly, he's wrong again. Kristol still sees scary black people. America, on the other hand, doesn't.