Guilt by association is Old Politics.

I keep referencing this post in real life discussions, and the follow up is here. In them David Schraub gives an excellent framework for understanding how Obama's politics differ from his pastor, Rev. Wright's. Once you consider that this framework already exists, it is easy to see that Obama hears Wright's views as a familiar refrain, and can group them as a general viewpoint he does not agree with. Another, lighter, example would be if two friends agreed on most everything, but one was a vegetarian and one was not. In this case, one friend will hear the arguments for being a vegetarian (killing animals, environment), and nod and say "I know", but I just don't agree. Both examples involve a familiar refrain, and can thus be categorized as an opposing view that a friend holds, one on race, and one on vegetarianism.

More generally, one of Obama's persistent themes to his actions is the dismissal of the notion of guilt by association. He believes, and I agree completely, that everyone has something good to bring to the table, and a person can associate with others for that good, while not absorbing the bad. We've seen this repeatedly throughout the campaign, with "gaffes" such as hiring Donnie McClurkin, the "ex-gay," homophobic gospel singer, Tony Rezko, who he was never even accused of wrongdoing with, but went with him on a land deal, and now his pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Senator Obama feels he can associate with these people freely for their good attributes (being a good singer, giving him a good deal, or being a spiritual leader, etc.), as any person not in the public sphere would do. The reason for this is not naiveté, as some people would have us believe, but it is tied into his idea of rising above the old politics. He certainly knows that people see things differently and expect different things out of leaders and icons, but at the same time, his ideas of openness of government and honestly in politics suggest to us that he believes America is ready to accept that its leaders are human and have foibles. Moreover, he believes that we should all be able to see the good in each other and come together to solve problems despite our differences. His speech on race suggests the same thing - he's trusting in America to look at the actual issues that are important, and to believe that he will tell you his views, because he believes that he finally can.

Transparency, rising above the old politics, elimination of guilt by association, and voting on the issues rather than sound bytes are all tied together, and together they make up the message that Obama has been speaking about the entire campaign. His campaign is not primarily about any one traditional issue, but rather about rising above the old politics, and bringing public discourse to a new, more mature level. This is what he means.