re: You're looking for a way to spin it for his benefit?
Yeah, I am because his whole life history shows none of the outrageousness of those carefully selected bits of his preacher's sermons. Were any of us judged by some of our more "out there" acquaintances in life we'd all be in hot water. However, those interactions enrich us and connect us to the extreme emotions of human behavior and give us an understanding into how to live in this world.
To tell you the truth I'd much rather have someone leading me that has seen the full range of life than someone that someone who's power and political strength has insulated them into a world of handlers and political correctness.
Art