But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren ´ t simply controversial . They weren ´ t simply a religious leader ´ s effort to speak out against perceived injustice . Instead , they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic , and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America , a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel , instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam .