Thus far, Sen. Barack Obama has asked the American people to consider his candidacy based on his judgment, not his experience, because his experience is very limited.

That’s a reasonable argument to make. After all, I think it’s fair to judge a person by what they’ve done, rather than what they haven’t done. The problem is, though, that Barack Obama’s judgment continues to appear to be suspect.

Tony Rezko has been indicted on charges of fraud, extortion, and money laundering. He was a prominent fundraiser for Barack Obama, raising $250,000  during Obama’s career as a legislator in Illinois. Rezko has also been linked to Obama through a shady land deal, in which Obama greatly benefited from. While the connection between Obama and Rezko doesn’t seem to indicate that Obama did anything illegal, as of yet, Rezko is clearly not the kind of person that a presidential aspirant ought to be associating with. Especially an aspirant who has campaigned on the theme of change. When asked about his relationship with Rezko, Obama said, “I consider this a mistake on my part and I regret it.”

Louis Farrakahn is the leader of the Nation of Islam and has a long history of antisemitism, racism, and general conspiratorial whackiness. Farrakahn has endorsed the candidacy of Barack Obama. Now, while presidential candidates have no control over who may or may not endorse them, they do have control over how they react to that endorsement. When given the chance in a debate to reject the support of Louis Farrakahn, Obama hedged his bets and refused to fully reject the support of Farrakahn and his organization. The best Obama could muster was, “I have been very clear in my denunciations of him and his past statements.”

Rev. Jeremiah Wright pastored the church that Obama and his family have attended for many years. Obama has identified Wright as a spiritual mentor and friend. Recently, some of Wright’s sermons have come to light. There are sermons in which Wright suggest that God should “damn America”, that the U.S. brought the 9/11 attacks upon itself, that AIDS was a government conspiracy against black people, etc., etc. This is the man that Obama held in such high esteem as a spiritual mentor? Obama’s reaction to these remarks from his pastor?

Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it’s on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

Again, rather than outright condemning the man for his views and rejecting the worldview offered by Wright, Obama instead rejects statements.

If we’re supposed to be judging Obama on his judgment, then what do his relationships with Rezko, Farrakahn, and Wright tell us about Obama’s ability to judge a person’s character? And what does Obama’s lack of conviction when it comes to condemning hatred, fraud, and racism say about Barack Obama?