Richard Dawkins needs a translator. Not for a language; he needs someone to translate "how it sounds in his head" to "how it sounds to other people" for him. This seems to be a chronic problem that he has, and it's caused tons of problems. Time and again he's said something that comes out as insensitive, vicious, or just plain wrong. I'm fairly certain that the problem is that the way it sounds in his head is different from the way it sounds to everyone else.
I don't know what the cause of this is; if I had to speculate, I'd say it might have to do with his brain structure: religious experiences happen in the brain, and I don't believe he's capable of having one, after watching the Horizon episode where he tried on the "God Helmet" (and did some other things). I feel it's probable that the part(s) of the brain that handle religion work abnormally in him; I don't mean "abnormal" in the sense of "bad", just "different from the majority of the population." Maybe this difference also expresses itself in how he understands words and their meanings, and so that's why he so often sends a subtext that he isn't even aware of or sends a message that is unclear or inaccurate. I'm not saying he's a bad person for it; just that he needs to have someone who can listen to him, interpret what he's saying, and then tell him how to say it in a way that is more clear. Perhaps this is one of the unseen evolutionary benefits of a brain wired for religion, the ability to see what isn't present in the literal meanings of things.
No one can deny that he's done a lot for science literacy and for evolutionary biology. But until he can find a translator, I don't think he should comment on current events. Not a values judgment, just an opinion on what is best for the future of promoting atheism.
