Hillary Clinton would not have sat in one of Rev. Wright's pews

It took awhile, but Hillary Clinton finally threw the Rev. Jeremiah Wright under the bus (just who is the driver of that oft-cited vehicle, anyway?).

Sitting down earlier today with a crew of journalists from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Clinton said of the controversial Wright: "He would not have been my pastor."

In a pretty clear reference to Barack Obama's previous description of Wright as an uncle-like figure to him -- someone you're fond of but who occasionally drives you batty with nutty comments -- Clinton added, "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

Clinton and her usually eager-to-pounce staff had been atypically silent as Obama was forced to confront incendiary comments on black/white relations that Wright had sprinkled into sermons over the years (hyping the furor, in this case, would have seemed like piling on).

But with her comments today ...

Clinton is keeping attention focused on a question that lingers for Obama in the aftermath of his generally well-received speech on racial tensions last week: why did he maintain his membership in Wright's church?

Given her remark, we also imagine that someone from the Obama camp may be checking out the rhetorical records of pastors at the services she and her husband attended during their many years in Little Rock.

Another response Clinton gave to the Pittsburgh newspaper that may not get as much attention -- but is worthy of note -- concerns the flap spurred by her exaggerated recollection of her trip to Bosnia while she was first lady.

Clinton blames "sleep deprivation" for her erroneous recent recollection that she and her traveling party -- which included daughter Chelsea -- were under sniper fire when their plane landed in Bosnia in 1996.

The Tribune-Review story on its conversation with Clinton can be seen here.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[carol]

The question I am sure was brought up by a member of the press. She responded like so many other Americans would have ....why would you stay at that church?

Of course, the media and Obama loyalists will bring up the "race card" again....the only defense they know. However, it is okay to bring up her husband's indescretions.

[C Watson]

It’s amazing what happens when you hear the pastor’s quotes in the context they were delivered. See the posters comments below CNN’s Roland Martin articles:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-rev-jeremiah-wrights-911-sermon/

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-wright%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cgod-damn-america%e2%80%9d-sermon/?s-%20?god-damn-america%20?-sermon/

I can’t say I subscribe to everything the pastor has said but I can say that it makes a heck of a difference when you hear them within the sermon.

This is a largely smear campaign. If they can’t nail the candidate, then they have to go after someone close to them to try to make the candidate look bad. Eventually, this story is going to come out – that Rev. Wright isn’t as bad as a few out of context clips make him out to be and most rational people will calm down.

[Robert Barnett]

Hilary is a wacko that supports killing the unborn. I hope she continues to keep walking away from the media and onto the tarmac.

[J Cline]

No white person in their right mind would have been sitting in one of Rev. Wright's pews as he ranted and spewed hatred against non-blacks. Clinton's just saying what any of us would have done. I'd never have set foot in any church calling itself "unapologetically black". Why sit and listen to bigotry?

That remains a valid question for Obama, who has dodged it so far -- but come November, he'll have no choice but to answer for it. And those Democrats stupid enough to endorse him will once again lose the White House.

[Ray Andrews]

Think about this for a moment:

Clinton blames "sleep deprivation" for her erroneous recent recollection that she and her traveling party -- which included daughter Chelsea -- were under sniper fire when their plane landed in Bosnia in 1996.

Now quick! Who do you want to answer the phone at 3:00 in the morning now?

[Mike Harrington]

Hillary seems to live in the same world as Bush. They both make things up, and say things that are totally bull and then smile and say "I didn't sleep well that night" Or Cheney didn't tell me what to say.
4000 dead and climbing.

[kay temmel]

This is just an attempt to change the subject. We are all talking about her "misspeaking" about her Bosnia trip today and she needed to change the subject quick. This woman will do anything to win. It is an embarrassment and makes me sick to my stomach

[eb]

of course she would have if it had served her purpose....just another lie...Billary never had a problem with seeking advantages for themselves and prostituting themselves to get what they want: power and anything that comes with it.,,,,,sick sick people.

[Tim Schaal]

In 1848, while serving as a congressman from the state of Illinois, Abraham Lincoln said in a speech given in the chambers of the United States House of Representatives the following:

"The true rule, in determining to embrace or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more of evil than of good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing ... is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded."

Jeremiah Wright, Obama's church, etc., all fit into this - as does his grandmother. They are not wholly evil or wholly good. So doesn't Obama deserve the benefit of doubt when he says:

"And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way.

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. "

Obama is embodying in this statement the very nature of what Lincoln said. So for 20 years Obama made the best judgment about Reverend Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ based on the preponderance of both the evil and the good. And in his measured judgment the good outweighed the evil.

Take a few minutes and read Reverend Wright's Hope ( http://allied.blogspot.com/2008/03/audacity-of-hope.html ) sermon. It is not full of venom, or anti-American statements, or anything like the snippets we have seen recently. It is a sermon, based on scripture, I would likely hear in my church which is over 90% white, or any one of thousands of churches across this land. I would think this was probably more the norm at Trinity United than the clips we are seeing - otherwise we would be seeing more and more and more clips. The man had to have made over 1,000 sermons in the past 20 years - and we have heard and seen snippets from three or four of them.

So perhaps Obama was hearing a lot of good Biblical based sermons while he set in the pew at Trinity United. And consider as well all the good Trinity United does in the community. Then, in his judgment, which I have found to be very sound over the past year, the "inseparable compound" of good and evil that make up Wright and Trinity United has more good than evil.

[TWstroud]

Too bad she didn't then apologize to her fans and loved ones and check into rehab for truth therapy.

[Kim]

Wow...seriously?? Good thing she won't be 'sleep deprived' when she has to answer that phone call at 3am.

[Tim from Harbor City]

On saying last week that she landed under sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia in 1996, when she was first lady:

"I was sleep-deprived, and I misspoke."

Hope she isn't ever sleep deprived when she has to answer that phone at 3 AM.

Barack Obama is the very kind of person you want to answer that phone. Calm, cool, collected, even tempered, level headed. I can't think of anyone else I would to answer that phone.

[cdl]

What I want to know most about Obama, and his pastor, is beyond the "it's because" dialogue.
Do both also speak to their communities about why so many black Americans are raised in single family homes without father's, why so many do not take advantage of free education, and programs that target youth for success instead of dropping out funded by the taxpayers?? Haven't heard it.
Obama's speech is not the first "it's because" speech. He fell short of offering up a dialogue that challenges the truth we face in America in an honest way. And sadly, he is the only candidate that can do so, and not be labeled a 'racist' for doing it.
There are many improvements that were not even mentioned, many success stories, many roll models of black heritage. Look at our television newscasters, journalists, sitcoms, movie stars, athletes, military officers, college professors, judges, politicans, etc.. But somehow we only got an "It's because" speech??
Do I live on another planet than Obama? Where was the hope in that??
There are some who are stuck on the merry-go-'round of the same ol', same ol'. Let's go in a straight, and honest way toward the future. It's not enough to 'hope' for change. It's work. And, plenty has already been done, the challenge is celebrating that, and building on it.

[David]

Why would she sit in Rev. Wright's church. It is a church filled with poor Black people. Hillary "liar" Clinton is rich white woman. Why would she want to sit with poor people, unless of course it is election time and cameras are rolling. Believe this Hillary "liar" Clinton: In the end, TRUTH will always win.

[TWstroud]

It suddenly occurs to me that if HRC lies and otherwise exercises poor judgement when she is sleepy, then she should not be answering any 3 a.m. calls.

[carolynw]

I hope your paper will give equal time to Hillary's affiliation with the "religious group" called The Family in Washington which Hillary has made a point of associating with while in Washington. It is certainly worth investigating. The group and the pastor/head of that group are rather sinister in their mission, of an elite Christian elect to rule the world, among other things. A quick google will reveal some very interesting findings.
Hillary's campaign should be given 10 gold stars for its stellar hipocrisy from day one of her campaign.

[THOMAS]

Where was the media coverage when Guiliani embraced the backing of Rev. Robertson? The same Rev. Pat Robertson who called for the assasination of Hugo Chavez, as well as a nuclear detonation of the U.S. State Department.

Where was the media coverage when the self proclaimed Messiah of the world, Rev. Moon and ex-con. backed both Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. for president? As usual, hypocrisy runs deep in the conservative movement as well as anywhere else.

[Franklin]

Really... "sleep deprivation"? I guess that's why the account appeared during two sets of prepared speeches. Maybe she misread speeches based on her memory both times.

Of course, no one should focus on that. It's only one of the last few shreds of her 'experience' that she's clinging to.

But instead, she'll do some damage control by bringing up Wright's name again. Expect to see her use this as a life preserver from here on out.

[Matt]

Hillary, if you release your tax returns now maybe it will refresh your memory on a few things. Like tax shelters in the Cayman Islands perhaps. Then you won't be misspeaking anymore and you'll probably sleep better as a consequence.

[Web Smith]

Someone should be delving into what went on in Arkansas during the Clintons' administration. Sex, drugs, and murder is not too far beneath the surface. Neither are Bill's draft dodging war protester days at Oxford where he became good buddies with many of the self proclaimed socialists and communists on the campus.

While Hillary's Presidential campaign may be taking some illusionary sniper fire, he run for the Big House is enjoying an increasing amount of grass roots support.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7007109937779036019&q=hILLARY+EXPOSED&total=452&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[Sylvia]

If Senator Clinton ever gets into the White House she will invite the pastor to dinner just like Bill did. Why not?

Watching media reports is watching this brilliant woman chasing her democrat rival every single day with the goal posts in hand.

here we can get the superdelegates. here we can get the pledged delegates. here we are better on the red phone. here we are heroic as we endured sniper fire with our daughter. here we can use the electoral college. here we can go back on our commitment to never mind florida and michigan because they didn't follow the rules for primary. here we can use this or that tactic of if i scare you you will vote for me.

did anybody tell her the republicans are changing registration party to vote for her in primary because they think they can defeat her in november?

how presidential is this?

[TW]

What convenient timing for her to finally make statements regarding this issue. She is quiet until she has a contorversy of her own to divert attention from.

Come on.

[erich]

If Senator Clinton feels the need to keep this issue and it's misdirection alive perhaps the MSM could at the very least delve into her long term association with the dominionist group "The Fellowship"/"The Family" for some parity...

[mike]

The biggest problem i have with Obama is that so little is known about him. He still refuses to disown his pastors comparing him to his white grandmother. I dont think he should have equated his white grandmother to a pastor how is full of hate.

what else will come out! I just saw a video on utube of a guy saying that he had given obama oral sex i think someone needs to look into his past.

[caliman]

Barak Obama's embrace of a bigoted racist pastor for twenty years means he fails the minimum level of civic decency we expect from someone who wants to be president of all Americans.

[David Saia]

A complete an utter fabrication... based on "sleep deprivation"? Maybe she was suffering from insomnia when she voted to authorize this disastrous war without even reading the intelligence report.

[Rajah Kahn]

Never walked out on Bill Clinton when he had all those numerous affairs.....Pastor Wright is not married to Obama. you were married to Bill who practised infidelity almost right in front of your eyes and you never left him...So what are you saying now, is also a mistake...You cannot be trusted....

[IG]

Wow, Really? Then why did Bill Clinton invited Rev. Wright to a braekfast prayer when Bill Clinton was President? Obviously, Rev wright has other admirable qualities inspite of that unfortunate footage that's been circultaed. Or else that footage is taken out of context to make a desired impression on viewers.

[mrincomestream]

"sleep deprivation"

Yea, on the part of John Q. Public who falls for her nonsense...

[Rick Ramirez]

Well if she would have read the whole speech she might not have a problem with the Rev Wright's sermon I did not! I suggest everyone listen to the whole thing not the few out of context sound bites the Right Wing Media has used to blast this man. Rev Wright also had his presidential moments before like when he was part of a medical team that performed surgery on LBJ back in 1966 and was commend for his perfomance on that team!

[Vincenzo]

But of course she would have left the church. She would've ran away with the head down, under sniper fire, just like she did in Tuzla.

[Lee Nichols]

Mrs. Clinton hopes to revive the issue -- but she now invites reporters to review all "her"ministers' sermons where they will surely find one or two anti--Black comments -- or comments which can be construed as such. Her desperation exhausts me. Does she never tire of hating?

[Thomas]

Ok, let me get this straight......She would walk out on a sermon but stay with the guy having sex in the White House with a 20 something. I guess I am way too simple to get this. Once again she demonstrates contradictions I find very worrisome. Unfortunately, we treat these responses like an event as opposed to a pattern.

[TM]

If campaign "sleep deprivation" makes Hillary believe she remembers taking her teenage daughter into a combat zone and ducking bullets - then how will she handle a crisis when awakened at 3:00 a.m.?

[doctormiguel]

With all due respect, my question is: Is US Senator Hillary Clinton a true Christian? If she knows about the requirements of a true Christian, then I don't believe she is qualified to enter into any house (church) of Christian Worship. This of course can change, if she repents (from the heart) from all of her secret sins and accept Jesus Christ is her Lord and saviour. Until then she can attend any Christian church service whether is Rev. Wright's church or not. I don't think Sen. Clinton has any standing in making any comments regarding our Christian religion, or enter into judgement. This is a personal matter between Sen. Clinton and her Creator.

[sunny florida]

So, Clinton or Obama? Hmmm....let's look at their resumes....relationships with "close advisors".....seems pretty clear: Hillary. Why not jump on a bandwagon of hype? The problem I have with Mr. Obama is his pattern of doing one thing and then distancing himself from those actions when it is revealed at a later date that maybe that isn't about his platform of "hope, unity and change". The Wright mess speaks to his platform of "good judgement". How can it be good judgement to listen to divisive words when you are also running on a platform of "unity", and listen to that for 20 years, just as an aside. How can it be good judgement to have a close friend and political associate whom you used to buy a piece of property with, who was widely known it be under investigation for political fraud and corruption? We have a need and right to know Senator Obama from every angle and what he believes when he talks of equality and a "vision" for America. For voters (or media) to say that Clinton +/or Obama is at fault for the direction the Democratic campaign has headed, is ludicrous and short-sighted. America is a melting pot of races, genders, culture, etc. and we each have a personal interest in seeing "ourselves" in our President. With that connection comes passion and emotional investment. However, it also must be tempered with information about the candidates (good and bad, without negative "label" attached to said information) so that we can make informed choices, rather than only emotionally-driven ones. To Americans: try to take off the blinders of opinion polls, media spin, mud and excitement and remember what this race is really about: Hiring someone to do the toughest and, arguably, most important job on the planet. Being President of the US isn't about speeches, promises and what-if's - it is about who you believe will get up, everyday, and work their butt off for every hardworking American, because they have a track record of that already. That person is Senator Clinton. She has worked hard and diligently for all Americans, and spent years building strong relationships because she has a passionate vision of what America can be, not just because she's running for President. Vetted, intelligent, tested and hardworking. Senator Clinton is the right choice for me in '08

[N.E. BodybutHillary]

Perhaps Rev. Wright's church is too small, too poor, or too dangerous for Mr.s C.

[andy]

when you go to a raist church, you are a raist too.
simple.

[Marge]

Is misspoke the new euphanism for "lied"?

[Anthony Jones]

That's funny. Didn't she and her husband, Bill Clinton invite Rev. Wright to the white house for spirtual reconcilliation during his impeachment trial for lying about having sex with an intern?

[Will]

Obama's choice of Pastor is horrific. . almost as bad as marrying a guy who cheats on you with an intern. . .in the Oval Office. . .during his Presidency. Of course, Hilary would NEVER make that poor a decision, would she? Wait, oh, that's right. . .

McCain '08

[mruth]

I think the issue of Reverend Wright's comments separates regular churchgoers from non-churchgoers. In my life I have often belonged to congregations in which I disagreed with some or many of the things the pastor said from the pulpit, and even his (usually his) understanding of how Christianity should be lived. I have stayed in the congregation, though, because it was my spiritual family, and the pastor was only part of it.

I also have deeply loved Christians--liberal and conservative--whose politics were radically different from my own. What united us was not our politics (some of my brothers and sisters in the pews have ascribed to what I would call very dubious conspiracy theories), but our faith that Christ was working in this world for all people and that inside and outside of the church, we were children of the same God.

I was appalled at the videoclips of Rev. Wright when I first read the quotes, but then I googled his sermons, and I found him to be a loving, inspired and inspiring preacher. My pastor speaks much more calmly than Rev. Wright did, but they talked about the same things after 9/11, namely, the need to take a spiritual assessment in our shock and sadness of where we each stood with God and where we stood with other people in our communities and around the globe.

Before condemning Rev. Wright (especially if you are a fellow Christian), be fair enough to listen to more than a cobbled-together videoclip of a sentence or two. Listen to those sentences in context. http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/03/rev-jeremiah-wr.html.

You may still disagree with him, but you should be fair to him. After all, the 8th commandment requires us not to bear false witness against our neighbor. Slandering Rev. Wright as a racist without checking to see if his sermons actually are racist is a sin.

[Barbara]

So she wouldn't have sat in Rev. Wright's pew but she would have voted for a war without reading the NIE report. That's like the pot calling the kettle black. Democratic leadership, end this thing NOW before Hillary does even more damage.

"I' m here because of Ashley."

[Claude Demers]

About Senator Clinton sleep deprivation argument concerning her trip to Bosnia, I hope she will not have that same problem at 3 am when the phone rings...

[Laurenr1]

The toxic messages of Wright spewing his hatred, in tandem with the award he gave to Farrakhan have created an image that is so far from the mainstream that Obama's ivy league polish has melted into a Panther picture! His race speech and unity message is at odds and is frankly more divisive and quite scary to a middle class person who has enjoyed working with people of all backgrounds. I have changed churches to find one that relects my values, so I can't separate Obama from his minister and what that means in terms of who he really is.

[Jo]

Good for you Hilary, I was wondering how long it would take for the question to be put to you. It was commendable that you didn't bring it up and that you stayed on the issues. Which is something the Obama camp needs to do more of. They keep bringing up petty things and Obama refuses to answer direct questions and always dances around the questions. How can we possibly trust someone like that? I feel that he will be another George W. Bush by watching and listening to him. I don't trust him. Give us Colin Powell. I would vote for him in a heart beat but not Obama. Never Obama. We can't handle someone who keeps playing the race card like Obama does. Then he accuses Clinton of doing that! What a spin master!! He must have hired some of Dubya's people! Sounds just like them. We don't need more of that. We need someone who is going to get down to business on day one. Not someone who will be doing the elbow wink wink good ole boy routine that I see from his camp on a daily basis.
I betcha Obama loving CNN would never post this one. I notice they allow only a few pro-Hilary posts. Get back into the news game CNN and stop the favoritism.

[Goldie]

Since she brought it up, I want to know what is "The Fellowship" which Clinton has belonged to since 1993. It is very secretive and its membership includes Ashcroft, Brownback and Inhofe, who are very conservative Repulicans. WHAT IS CLINTON DOING SO CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THEM IN A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION? I think it is a question the press should ask so we know if her social policies would be different than we assume. And since it is so secretive, she should explain why she joined it. It has had ties to dictators such a Suharto. What influence would it have on her if she were elected? Don't we have a right to know why it is so secretive and what its goals are?

[JohnG]

The crux of the matter in the Wright situation is it weakens Obama's superior judgement claim. His advisors kicked the issue around: either disown Wright under pressure and ruin his judgement claim or dance around it without throwing him under the bus and retain the jugdement trump card. They chose the latter. But it will fester until he in no uncertain terms disassociates himself entirely with Wright. He's effectively walled himself from questions-that's a presidencial style I can do without. All he needs to do is have a news conference and let anybody ask anything. But apparently the emperor wears no clothes

[Roger]

There are 116 United Church of Christ churches in the Chicago area. There are over a dozen within 10 miles of Barack & Michelle Obama’s home. Why that church? As a private citizens if your family is fine with a pastor and church who holds as even a small part of there views anti American, Anti Semitic, Pro Hamas Terrorist organization, Anti white as part of the ministry it is your right to stay as members and be feed spiritually there and if that is what feeds your soul, fine we as fellow Americans support your rights to that. As to America being OK with our President being a member of such a church, we say no way! No one has ask you to change faiths but a change in church fellowship and spiritual advisers of which you have 116 other churches and pastors to choose from is totally within a reasonable request for someone running to be the next President of the United States! Thank you Barack Obama for your radio address where you let us know you and Michelle have chosen to continue being spiritually feed from that specific church and pastor with ALL there messages. We will support your right to that as a private citizen but we will not elect you as our President. Change & Unity are more then words they require action and hard work! The kind of solutions to serious problems we face is what Hillary Clinton offers us and is the real change and unity we are looking for. You may speak the words about these things but your actions do not.

[steve nichols]

I am a very white, very middle class, very republican middle aged male. I think Hillary is extremely premeditated and manipulative in her attempt to rule America. She will do anything and say anything to get elected. She will lie, cheat and pander to get what she thinks is rightfully hers. Regarding Rev. Wright, Hillary is so unbelievably off base and unqualified to comment. She has no clue about being black in America, specifically inner city America. She repesents the priviledged elite that she claims to hate and that Wright calls out. I personally applaud Wright's statements - are you going to tell me that the US is not run by rich white people. Are you going to tell me that we, the GREAT USA, have always done the right thing. Give me a break, how about a little dose of honesty. He called the kettle black, but no one wants to hear it. Oh and by the way, if we are going to judge our potential leaders by who they chose to associate with, them Hillary should be eliminated immediately given her connection to Bill Clinton and her throng of prominant Arkansas associates. I for one like Obama's audacious attempt to change the tenor and tempo of politics in the country. Those who are so tied to the staus quo just cannot understand the appeal - well guess what, there is a serious contingent of people who have really had it with business as usual and are willing to take a leap of faith with the new guy.