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Here's the thing. By now we all know how vicious Rev. Jesse Jackson's whispered comments were. We won't even discuss the fact that his word choice didn't sound like it came from a reverend. Because if we focus on the crudest part of Rev. Jackson's horrible and vulgar remarks about Sen. Barack Obama we might miss Rev. Jackson's actual issue with the Democratic presidential nominee.

So, as hard as it will be, let's momentarily ignore the ugly, nasty, awful part of Rev. Jackson's comments on “Fox & Friends” and take a moment to examine Rev. Jackson's statement that Sen. Obama has been “talking down to Black people.”

Could he have been referring to—among other things—Sen. Obama's Father's Day rebuke of absent African American fathers? Because if that's what Rev. Jackson was talking about, he's not alone in his feelings (although he is alone in the, er, um, way that he handled it, but, again, we won't discuss).

Now I know that June was ages ago in the presidential campaign world, where one month equals three years. But, if you recall, when Sen. Obama spoke at Chicago's Apostolic Church of God, he had harsh words for African American fathers and that just didn't sit well with some people.

Non-resident father does not equal deadbeat dad

Political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson and author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson are among the critics who argued against Sen. Obama's assertion that half of African American children not residing with their dads means African American fathers “have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men.”

Not only did Hutchinson and Dyson argue that Sen. Obama had gone too far in his attempt to appeal to white voters, but they said that the Illinois senator was dead wrong.

Hutchinson and Dyson cited a 2007 study conducted by Boston College social psychologist Rebekah Levine Coley, which they said proved “that black fathers not living at home are more likely to keep in contact with their children than fathers of any other ethnic or racial group.”

So, who's right?

I talked to Coley and she said it's more complicated than either side is saying. Then she added that:

1. Her 2007 study looked at low-income adolescents who live primarily in single mother households. She found that when non-resident fathers are involved with their children, the children are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior, like drug and alcohol use, violence and truancy.

2. The significant finding for African American non-resident fathers is that they are more likely to increase involvement with their child if the child is engaged in delinquent behavior.

3. Coley added that there is research that finds that “African American men are less likely to live with their kids. But when they don't live with their kids, some studies show that they're more likely to stay actively involved with them.”

4. But—contrary to what Hutchinson and Dyson wrote—that's not what Coley's study was about.

“Stepping up to the plate”

Maybe we're back where we started. Maybe everyone is wrong. Maybe everyone is right. It's probably all of the above.

Sen. Obama's assertion that African American men are not in the home is backed by data. And when critics argue that non-resident African American fathers are involved in their children's lives, their assertions are backed by research as well.

But Coley left me with this parting interpretation of the data from her study. “It suggests that African American men are really sort of stepping up to the plate and attempting to intervene when their children are beginning to get engaged in delinquent activities.”

Yes. “Stepping up to the plate.” And although it's just one study, it's worth mentioning, because even that bit of information provides a more complete view of non-resident African American fathers.

Sen. Obama says he's not backing down from his tough language, but if he had mentioned active African American fathers in his Father's Day speech, Rev. Jackson might have whispered something else into that Fox News microphone. Or not.