AL SHARPTON VOWS TO close New York City.

UPDATE: Reader Edward Friedman emails: “This cannot help Obama or Hillary. The more anti-police, anti-white rhetoric, the more the unwashed bitter people flock to McCain in November.” That’s probably right. As with Jeremiah Wright, it’s almost as if Sharpton is trying to hurt Obama.

ANOTHER UPDATE: TigerHawk: “The elevation of Barack Obama to the presidency would vastly diminish the influence of leaders who have built up their power by stoking, rather than alleviating, the grievances of African-Americans. The era of the ‘civil rights’ leader would be over, perhaps sooner by decades than if Barack Obama loses. Even if Al Sharpton believes that would be a good thing — and that is surely looking on the bright side of Sharpton — it has to be unnerving for him. It is not a great stretch to suppose that Sharpton is rationalizing his way to public eruptions that frustrate Barack Obama’s need to win votes from the vast American center.”

MORE: A reader who (understandably) prefers anonymity emails: “I agree with Edward Friedman. Same with Bill Ayers, come to think of it. Don’t these people have the sense to stop digging?” Apparently not. Or they’ve got an agenda that makes digging the sensible thing.