Reverend Wright's Re-emergence Could Spell Trouble for Obama Campaign
His speech at the National Press Club today signaled he's not going quietly into the night, despite the potential to hurt Obama's campaign
Barack Obama says he has not suggested to his recently retired pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, that he retreat from the national stage and stay behind the scenes in Chicago until the end of presidential primary season—if not beyond. Not even privately? Though Obama's top aide said today that Wright's re-emergence is "not helpful," his staff declined to comment further.
But with just a week to go before crucial primaries in Indiana and North Carolina and Obama locked in a tight battle with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, most in his camp would no doubt consider Wright's silence golden.
However, Wright's commanding, unapologetic, and at times confrontational appearance before a friendly and boisterous crowd early today at the National Press Club made clear that Obama's fiery former pastor who built Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago into an 8,000-strong powerhouse has no intention of going quietly into the night. His recent publicity blitz, including a revealing sit-down with PBS's Bill Moyers that aired Friday and spirited speech yesterday before the Detroit chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, means that Obama's relationship with his longtime preacher will remain front and center at precisely the time questions about his electability in the fall are being highlighted—mostly by Clinton.
In a ballroom packed with a largely black audience of church leaders in town for a conference, as well as more than two dozen television cameras and scores of reporters who watched three and four deep from the press balconies, Wright repeatedly criticized the "corporate media" that he says have taken sound bites from his sermons and used them out of context to mischaracterize his message—to crucify him, he has said in recent days. Though his prepared speech was an impassioned but rhetorically restrained history of the black church in America and a defense of the wide, deep, and significant work his church has performed in its community, the tone during the question-and-answer period that followed was decidedly more confrontational.
While answering questions submitted in writing by audience members, Wright charged that the harsh criticism of his more incendiary sermons—including one after the 9/11 attacks during which he said that America's "chickens have come home to roost"—are not attacks on him but "on the black church."
He stoutly defended his 9/11 comment, asserting that "you cannot do terrorism on other people and expect it never to come back on you." And when the press club official asking the submitted questions admitted to Wright that she had not heard his entire post-9/11 sermon, he said, flatly: "That nullifies that question." Wright said that another sermon in which he substituted "God damn America" for "God bless America" was "about policy, not the American people." The nation, he said, still needs to confront slavery and "ask forgiveness."
Wright also defended his patriotism—"I served six years in the military," he said. "How many years did [Vice President] Cheney serve?" And he refused to back down when asked about his laudatory description of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan as one of the most important voices of the 20th and 21st centuries.
In his words, tone, and confidence, Wright gave every indication that he will continue to use the controversy that has surrounded his sermons—as well as Obama's subsequent speech on race in America—to keep his voice in the public square and to stoke the newly revived national conversation about race, slavery, and the black church. This does not appear to be a man worried that presumed GOP nominee John McCain has already started using Wright's words against Obama. Nor do they reflect a pastoral leader fretting that his often incensed rhetoric could make Obama's path to becoming the first black presidential nominee a lot rockier.
Obama, who has distanced himself from Wright's more controversial comments, said yesterday that people were legitimately offended by the reverend's comments, and that makes it a "legitimate political issue."
Wright says he understands Obama's need to distance himself. "If Senator Obama didn't say what he said, he'd never be elected." However, he added, "I'm not running for office." And with that, Wright grinned and said: "But I'm open to being vice president."
Reader Comments
Racial Torch
The Racial Torch is not being carried by Black people, but mostly by white people and now people of other races, in our meltiing pot of humanity. The problem that nubian/ black people have is not with blaming the descendants of slave owners and other past perpretrators but the fact that, in todays society racial bias still persists, towards peope of color is an indication that it has still alive.. Racial profiling by police officers on black and hispanic motorists has been thoroughly documented, as a dark skin is still considered a badge of guilt min the eyes of many. Poeple of color would be able to totally forgive past sins of the purveyors of slavery if only they were not being confronted with it on a daily basis, at work, school, while being followed around in stores, and while driving. Imagine a black man is driving an expensive car whether or not he/she is a professional; a Professor/ Doctor/ Engineer or simply a hard working citizen and being assumed to be a hoodlum simply based on his darker complexion. Black doctors and professors, and even ministers have been treated with disdain at the hands of some racist whilt person; but what is more disheartening is that even other races such as Asians, East Indians, and some hispanics of a lighter hue have started to treat black peolple direspectfully based on skin tone. I wish most white people would realize that black people come in different shades and some are even so light-skinned as to appear white. I have personally seen black men mistaken for white; where they were accepted as such, until there family/ kids with a darker hue are in there company and the white persons or people who was once engaging them wanted nothing to do with even holding casual conversations with them; while they show signs of being traumatized. This shows how utterly riduculous, racial bias is, because in our society of mixed heritages where is the cut off point of color. Undoubtedly several poeple working among us who appear white are truly not. So what are we left with; treating the really dark skinned, beter than we treat their light skinned relatives?--- Purely assinine!!!!!!!!!
Wright's Jihad
All you terrorists defending Wright's rants because they're based on "history" and defending Obama's association need to get a brain and start using it:
Mr. Wright can say "America has sinned in the past" (very true, including slavery), but when you finish the sentence with "thus we deserved 9/11", that is anti-American and factually indefensible. 9/11 was perpetrated by 20 Muslim terrorists, half of whom had the middle name of Hussein, for no reason except the cowardice whereby they can infiltrate this country, not declare war like real men do, and kill thousands of civilians here because they cannot do that to their true enemy, Israel, as they (muslims) have gotten their ass handed to them the last 50 years.
And don't compare Hagee (who insults Jews, New Orleans and Catholics, then apologizes) to Wright, who insults any American that uses suntan protection during the summer. Hagee endorsed McCain, he didn't marry McCain or batized his children. McCain didn't attend Hagee's church for one month, let alone 20 years. The true comparison of Hagee is Hamas. Both have endorsed a candidate. I think the majority of America realizes which of these two is the less dangerous association.
Rev. Wright is like Prophet Amos-Critics Out Of Context.
None of these Atheists seem to have
ever studied the Ancient Hebrew
Bible, known as the Tanakh, and the
Old Testament,or they would know Rev. Wright is merely repeating the O.T.
Prophets. Jesus admonished his
critics, saying, "Your ForeFathers
murdered the prophets; now you
hypocrits pretend to honor them (and
implying "now you are criticizing
and seeking to murder me, who came
to prophetize to you.)" Hillary's
Pastor, Rev. Mathews is correct to support Rev. Wrigjht. Show Rev. Wright speech transcripts, IF you criticize; not enough here or elsewhere, to form logical opinions. Read Prophet Amos's talks to Israel's Northern Ten Tribes Kingdom, lost in 726 BC. Amos tells Kingdom's Very Rich, they WILL be damned by God, destroyed, IF they do not Repent. stop stealing Tithes, Social Security of the day, spending it on themselves, Repay. Today's US Very Rich have stole Social Security Funds since the Kennedy era, spent S.S. on own things; Very Rich's Congress gave Social Security I.O.U. notes; never required Very Rich to Tithe; LowIncome US Workers pay S.S. 7.2% + emp. match. 7.2%; Very Rich pay only on first 80 thou, Very Rich must Repent, stop stealing, repay or God Will Damn. World hates US for mindless Vietnam, Iraq Wars; Now For World Grain Shortage; FARC had 60lbs Uranium; 6 makes Hiroshima type Bomb; For Mass Starvation, World will Retaliate with 20 Kiloton Nuke Bombs; US Lands HELD In Trust from God; US Can go way of Indians, Buffalo. Church should expel Clinton, Tool of Very Rich.
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