In D.C. appearance, Jeremiah Wright remains controversial

David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama, gets credit for understatement of the month with his comment on MSNBC this morning before the Rev. Jeremiah Wright wrapped up his media blitzkrieg of the last few days with an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

To the extent that voters attribute to Obama statements and opinions that aren't his, Axelrod said, "it's obviously not helpful."

Now, in the wake of a feisty Q&A session that followed a speech Wright delivered (see video below), Obama and his top aides can only sit back and gauge how "obviously not helpful" the man who was the candidate's pastor for many years continues to be to his presidential hopes.

Our colleague Christi Parsons of the Chicago Tribune was among those covering Wright today, and she reports that in his address, he provided "a learned lecture on the black experience in America and on the African American faith tradition, an attempt to put into context the controversial sermon snippets that have been airing in recent weeks."

But, as he answered questions after his talk, Wright did nothing to quell the controversy ...

that has enveloped him and, by extension, Obama.

Wright stood by a sermon he delivered at his Chicago church shortly after 9/11, in which he said “America’s chickens are coming home to roost” for supporting "state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans.” Snippets of that discourse have been among those making the rounds on YouTube.

Today, Wright repeated his payback argument, saying "“You cannot do terrorism on other people and expect it never to come back to you. Those are biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright bombastic divisive principles.”

Similarly, he said there was a biblical basis for the sermon in which he said "God damn America" due to the stain of racism.

"God doesn't bless everything," said Wright. "God damns some practices."

As he did in his interview with Bill Moyers that aired on PBS on Friday night, Wright seemed dismissive of the much-hailed speech Obama gave in mid-March in which he denounced the preacher's catalog of inflammatory remarks as objectionable and not reflecting his own views.

"If Sen. Obama did not say what he said, he would not get elected," Wright said.

Defending his relationship with Louis Farrakhan, Wright said the Nation of Islam leader "is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains. He did not put me in slavery."

Wright may have done Obama one small favor, casting himself as someone who will keep offering scathing political criticism, regardless of the outcome of this year's election.

Wright told his audience: "As I said to Barack Obama, if you get elected, Nov. 5 I'm coming after you, because you'll be representing a government whose policies grind under people."

That's probably small solace to Obama as the May 6 primaries in North Carolina and Indiana approach.

As political analyst David Gergen summed up on CNN: "I'm sure Rev. Wright has many virtues. Loyalty to his former parishioner is not one of them."

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[keith]

It's funny, when Bill & Hill were campaigning in days gone by they made a great show of appearing in black churches, this time not so much, I wonder why?

Maybe it's because the "First Black President" and his blonde wife aren't really as "down" for the black man as they like to make out like they are. It's the proliferation of phonies like the Clintons that gives the Jeremiah Wright's of the world the substance of this type of controversial speech material.

[John Martin]

I watched the Rev. Wright sermon three times. As CNN continues to play it every other hour. I can see where Sen. Obama has been schooled in how to give a charismatic, powerful oratory. My favorite part of the sermon was when Rev. Wright spoke on immigration. As a Native American man I stood up and cheered when he mentioned Native Americans as the original inhabitants of this land.

There is much that white America simply does not comprehend about both the African-American community and the Native American community. Rev. Wright is not some hate-monger. He is a colorful, intelligent and honest man. He speaks of change in America, he has lived through apartheid, he remembers how his people were treated, like us Native Americans, with indignity and disrespect by white America.

It's time America wakes up and sees this country through the eyes of it's most mistreated peoples. Sen. Obama gave an eloquent interview with Fox's Chris Wallace on Sunday. It gave me hope that America is a country that will make amends to it's indigenous people and the people who were brought to this country involuntarily, as slaves.

[fgmorley]

Good Old Jeremiah just keeps on giving and giving.

Barack Hussein Obama- Half Honkey - All Donkey

[Jack]

Obama's going to be the nominee, like it or not. And it's just as well that the true Rev. Wright get out there. He's obviously not a lunatic, nor is he unpatriotic. He merely expresses an opinion that America is not perfect, all people must be treated equally- and that this country is not yet at that point.

Any rational person who would listen to him would clearly not leave a church of this stature and history because of some words that while clearly controversial are anything other than anti-American or racist.

While this may seem a bad time for Obama, it's an opportunity for the country. Let's see how mature we are.

[owlbear1]

Yes, why can't Barack Obama get Blacks to be quiet? How dare he allow them to remain un-gagged?

[Bob]

Pastor Wright's speech before the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP is the most divisive I have ever heard from anyone other than flat out racists. Wright says that Blacks THINK differently than Whites of European descent. That is baloney. I can see the whisper campaign saying that explains why over three percent of Black males are prisoners as opposed to less than one percent of White ma;les. The same logic could be applied to murders. Indeed, racists could and will point to the African governments that have failed miserably since British colonial tomes and point to India ( where most have "blacker" skin tone than Africans and American Blacks) and Malaysia to say Wright is correct Blacks don't think and learn like Whites and therefore are different. This is not Christian. This is racist and divisive in the extreme. What is Wright thinking? What is the Obama campaign thinking in arranging this rehabilitation speaking tour where loose cannon Wright snatches defeat from the jaws of victory for Obama and the Democratic majority. Wright's racism and extremism is being emblazoned on Barack Obama. Axelrod should step aside. This is the worst self inflicted wound in a generation. Obama may win the nomination, but will lose the general unless he take immediate action to stop the bleeding now.

According to Wright's logic two different teaching methods needs to be employed in America lest we continue to harm Black students. DOES BARACK OBAMA, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE NAACP WISH TO REVERT TO THE 'SEPARATE BUT EQUAL DOCTRINE OF PLESSY V. FERGUSON? IF SO I DON'T WANT TO BE A DEMOCRAT ANYMORE. WRIGHT IS A RACIST. HE LIED ABOUT WHAT A FORMER AMERICAN AMBASSADOR SAID TO FOX NEWS TO JUSTIFY THE HIS INVOKING THE WORDS OF BLACK MUSLIM MALCOLM X. As my wife - who is not white and whose skin colour is darker than both Wright's and Obama's said - "Since Wright is mulato he apparently fails to think with either the right or left side of his brain, he talks and acts like a Black Muslim and America is not ready for that."

Do we really need Wright to engender the riots sought by Rush and company. Obama must repudiate Wright immediately and admit that he made a mistake in attending Trinity UCC and embracing the racial divisive Black Liberation Theology of Wright and James Cone the principal advocate of this divisive ideology, disguised as "theology."

Barack Obama has stressed how Rev. Wright brought him to Christianity and that Obama embraced the teaching of Trinity church as a congregant in his campaign and in his published writings. These teachings are fundamentally racist and divisive. Obama has chosen to belong to this "Black Liberation Theology" church for almost 20 years. Hannity, no friend of Democrats, has been airing Wright's 2007 interview incessantly to eventually emblazon the association of Wright, Obama and the divisive theology of James Cone on the American body politic once Obama secures the nomination.

HOW CAN A PROFESSED "CHRISTIAN" WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT ON A PROMISE OF UNITY PROCLAIMING, "THERE ARE NO RED STATES OR BLUE STATES, THERE IS ONLY THE UNITED STATES" BE ANYTHING BUT A SLICK IMPOSTOR IF HE HAS EMBRACED THE IDEOLOGY AND THEOLOGY OF JAMES CONE FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS, WHICH IS THE THEOLOGY OF TRINITY UCC? ACCORDING TO JAMES CONE AND REV. WRIGHT, "Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy." (James Cone, quoted in William R Jones, 'Divine Racism," in African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology, ed. Cornel West, Eddie Glaube, 2003.)

The strategic problem is that Obama, in his eloquent speech of Tuesday March 18, did not reject the Afrocentric and Marxist ideology, proffered as theology, of the Trinity United Church of Christ, nor the application of that theology as practiced by Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Moreover, not only did Obama fail to repudiate Wright, Obama failed to explain how he could belong to a church since the early nineties and embrace its central tenet, "Black Liberation Theology," on one hand and run for the highest office in the land on the other.

It appears certain that comparing the attacks on Obama's association with divisive theology for almost 20 years following Obama's nomination will make "swiftboating" an inapplicable metaphor. Indeed, it appears almost certain that the damage that will be done to the Democrats following Obama's nomination could make the 1972 McGovern choice of Tom Eagleton as Vice Presidential running mate pale by comparison to 2008 election politics of juxtaposing sexy sound bites and undisputable facts.

Obama's ties to radical "Black Liberation Theology" will be just the beginning. The attack dogs will tie Obama's theology and his actions to radical African politics because the overwhelming majority of the press have not looked into Obama's associations with radical African politicians and Obama's actions in support of those radicals. For example, one only read the stories published in the New York Sun (http://www.nysun.com/article/69273 ) on January 10, 2008 entitled "The Kenya Connection" and Investors Business Daily of January 15, 2008 (http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcon tent.asp?status=article&id=285292746454291&a mp;secid=1501 ) to realize that there is plenty of ammunition available to render Obama's nomination cannon fodder for conservative talk show hosts and television hit pieces that could make "Willie Horton" commercials look like political cream puffs.

Will Obama's ties to radical African politicians such as Raila Odinga, whose political campaigns have been funded by Muammar Gaddafi of Libya and who has forged alliances with fundamentalist Islamic factions cause the Democrats to lose the usually reliable Jewish vote? Will working class whites embrace a black Obama? Will an all attack on Obama resulting in his defeat in the general election spawn riots across America's inner cities?

These are troubling questions that deserve to be discussed now because the news media and particularly the traditional press and cable news see an opening to prolong the primary race and increase ratings by Wright's undenialable racism.

[Shalom Freedman]

Gergen has it right. All Wright is doing is injuring the chances of Obama. He is also stupid in believing that the great majority of the American people are going to buy his hated- filled condemnation of the country, which may not be perfect, but has given more people a chance to make a good life than any other in history.

[fred17]

i found his remarks interesting and appreciated the context. on cnn yesterday he said that those who reacted only to the sound bites were "stuck on stupid" i agree with him

[djibril]

Seriously!!! Rev Wright. you lost me when you talked about the book that you putting out soon...
This guy gave a great explaination of the Black church nevertheless, since the one of the goal of the black church as much as a synagogue or a mosque is to uplift people in every sense, since all men are equal before god...but thenMr. Wright you shoudl help the candidate that can help reach that goal. not push your own agenda this is much bigger than your little Church. Obama is try to convince a much larger spectrum of folks of the value of equality and justice. so please stop it, you know he has a chance, don't hate if not you'll one more perpetrators. and that the word.
djibril

[Steve Wimer]

This man speaks elouqently and with a large vocabulary, but I think he's an idiot. Why does he think people will believe his spin? His pompous postering demeans himself. Poor Obama, his own pastor is sabotaging his chances to be the Democratic candidate, and even if Obama does get the nomination to run, deeply damaged Obama's chances to win. The conservative dart throwers are jumping jive with glee after these remarks, I'm sure. I sincerely hope this doesn't mean we get another Republican President. We can't afford one.

[Kim]

Crap.

Yet another day for the Republican-owned and dominated media conspiracy. For you neanderthals out there, that includes ABC, CBS, NBC, the LA Times, the NY Times, etc. etc. Name one major news source that is owned by Democrats.

One thing the good pastor has said is that the US military has killed thousands on innocent people to extend our empire, and not to protect us.

Here is a diagnostic for you: The Pentagon has a current policy in Iraq that it is "okay' to kill up to 30 innocent people in pursuit of a "bad" guy.

For you so-called Christians, I am sure that Jesus would be happy with the 30-to-1 kill ratio.

[Constitution Fan]

I don't understand the need of many in the media to select snippets of what Wright says and micro-analyze them in the context of whether or not it aids Obama. He keeps trying to tell everyone he is not about aiding Obama, but about telling the truth as he sees it. He sees himself as being in the role of pastor to his flock, and he adheres to the biblical admonition to speak truth to power. The media pundits persist in believing that they must view him in the prism of whether he aids or harms Obama's campaign, and seem to be perplexed that he is not accepting the role they have made up for him, which is as a controversial Obama supporter who is supposed to retire quietly into the night and not say anything until Obama is elected. Please get it through your heads media types - Wright is his own man and does not feel constrained by the political needs of the moment. He will tell it as he perceives it, right or wrong, but he's not going to accept your pigeonholing.

I'm really beginning to suspect that the media pundit world simply does not understand anyone whose main focus is religion. Right wing evangelicals have been accusing the MSM of getting them wrong for years. Now it seems that Wright has a valid similar complaint. Folks, the problem isn't the representatives of religion on either the right or the left. The problem is a media so secularized and so attuned to secular interests that its members simply cannot comprehend the alternative reality of the deeply religious.

[Keith Burton]

Sometimes the truth is controversial. What's more important, having a person of African descent in the White House or inviting America to move beyond the racism that currently permeates society? As uncomfortable as the truth may make some people, Wright is right.

www.youtube.com/drkeithburton

[forparity]

Let's put it to the test:

Sen. Obama was clear Sun - the Rev. Wright's comments deserve to be debated.

The campaign between Obama and Clinton is raising serious issues that the media seemingly does not want to vet -- for fear of damaging either the legacy of Bill Clinton, the chances of Hillary Clinton, or perhaps simply their friends, the Democrats?

Why has the media skipped on asking Obama and Wright to explain, and Hillary and Bill Clinton to defend (to address) these remarks from Rev. Wright - where he basically claims that Bill Clinton ------ the black community (as president) and Hillary will be the same:

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enMWfQl_Qeg

The transcript:

Rev. Wright: Hillary is married to Bill and Bill have been good to us? No, he ain't! Bill did us just like he did Monica Lewinsky!

Congregation: (cheers)

Rev. Wright: He was riding dirty!

This is obviously, the last thing that the Sen. Hillary Clinton camp needs in the public airwaves - but it sure does liven up the discussion, does it not?

Without a doubt, if it were McCain's pastor attacking the Clinton's or Obama in such a fashion - all holy terror would have broke loose with the media going after such remarks. The LATimes, CNN, the networks, and the other networks and papers, would be demanding fulll apologies, McCain's rejection of the pastor - and Bill Moyer's sure would not be sitting down with a sweet interview with the man.

[I_Slay_The_Dragon]

The forum(s) which various Media provide
this Fakir, is inexcusable.
Both, Theologically AND Morally oblivious, he mocks not
only those departed (and unable to defend themselves),
but, also The Most High Lord, and His Word.
This, is not only unacceptable, it WILL NOT be
tolerated any longer.

[Leticia]

Rev. Wright cannot even apply his own philosophy that retribution should be expected when you initiate problems. In the same token, how can he not expect the media to "crucify" him when he makes statements warranting crucifixion? Rev. Wright criticizes racism, but yet separates his group from the rest. It appears he still holds grudges towards the white people for past slavery and befriends Farrakham because they share the same hatred towards the white people. Ackwardly, he claims to worship God, yet befriends a group that call God a liar. Bottom line, the Nation of Islam does not recognize Jesus as the saviour, so what business does Rev. Wright have in being friends w/this group that calls his beliefs a lie? Rev. Wright is a total hypocrite and uses religioin to serve his ill purpose. He should also acknowledge if he reads the Bible that God promised to give the Isralites that land forever so what part of it did Rev. Wright miss?

[JJ]

Finally, the real information is being delivered. Americans are really stupid, in general, so I don't expect them to understand logic, reason and intellectualism on a general scale. Some are starting to, so that's all I can cling to at this stage of this incredibly historic time in our nations history. Come on folks, understand others, its not that difficult.

[Susan]

Man the LA Times has something against Obama. Last article I read you showed a sudden drop in poll numbers for him in PA - up to 20 points! Meanwhile, no other poll showed more than 5 or 6 points. Now you keep dredging up Pastor Wright and saying how damaging he is to Obama. What about John McCain's connections with extremist clergy who blame 9-11 on Gays and Katrina on the sins of the people of Louisiana? All you need to do is go to You Tube and search under the terms "John McCain's Spiritual Advisor" or click here:

[Patriotic American]

Wow, you Dems are such losers LOL You Dems analyze and overanalyze, feel guilty, get all depressed etc. It's really quite simple: Dems never win because they have weak unpatriotic left-wing candidates. Hahahahaaa I'm so happy, now McCain will be President !!!

[Ben]

People forget, a pastor's job is to tell us what we don't want to hear. Jesus was even more harsh on political leaders of his time. He said their mouth is an open tomb, and these are the same leaders that Isreal depend on to defend against their own terrorists, which were the Romans. People think the church is a social gathering.

How many times do you hear people get bitter because their company CEO only surrounds themselves with yes mans, and is driving their company out of business.
The American people want the same thing, they only want to surround themselves with yes man pastors, yes man politicians and yes man media.
Reality is going to crush us like a stone as the dollar is falling because of debt we are blind to. We still want a yes man president to tell us he plans to strenghen the dollar when he is actually doing the opposite.

Even if Barack loose, we need a pastor to pound the reality into our head with a sledge hammer if necessary. Our skulls are pretty thick. I don't care how much you wish for something, reality wins every time, and for the rest of your life reality will still win over what you wish to hear, and grind you into oblivion. Get use to that. Reality is reality.

[Frank Helton]

Regarding Jeremiah Wright: "Defending his relationship with Louis Farrakhan, Wright said the Nation of Islam leader "is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains. He did not put me in slavery." That may not be accurate. In Africa black tribes often captured and sold members of other black tribes to slave merchants. It's entirely possible a descendant of Farrakhan's tribe may have sold someone of Wright's tribe or the other way around. Either way, wrong as slavery is, there both probably doing better in the USA than they would be if they were still in Africa. Wright shouldn't have said "God damn America" he should have said 'God damn slavery and slave merchants and buyers'. His statement only gives supportive proof that he is an America-hater.

[Benjamin]

I've never heard the comments in the context of the sermons, so unlike the endless parade of know nothings in the media and among the general public out there who make grand pronouncements and judgements on the man based on what are in fact nothing more than media repeated sound bites, I'm not going to judge the pastor. I don't know a single person in my life who, were you able to pick and choose sound bites from rants they've given, couldn't be made to look extremely evil. My republican friends have on more than one occasion said things that if you focused on just one sentence, would sound like they were all ready to sign up for the Ku Klax Klan or take up arms against the government. My democrat friends have said things that if you were to focus on just one sentence, they sound like they're ready to take up the marxist battle and overthrow the government.

If you don't know context, you don't know nothing. It doesn't matter how you rant about it, how many times you repeat a single sentence, no context=no insight=no wisdom=worthless gossip.

Maybe it's not my place to say as an Atheist, but hey, in today's america anyone can talk like a big expert on anything so futz it... but it would seem to me that if people are going to a church that doesn't challenge them and rub them the wrong way at times, then they are either perfect or they are in a souless church that affords them no growth opportunity. It used to be intelligent people welcomed diversity of opinion around them as a way to challenge them and keep them grounded in reality. But today's collectivists see that as a weakness and would have us believe that you should only surround yourself with likeminded people. That's exactly why the mainstream partisan, whether they be democrat or republican, is so ignorant and disconnected from reality these days. They've locked themselves into echo chambers where what they've already decided is true is repeated ad nauseam.

Maybe Obama recognized the need to not be surrounded by a bunch of echo boxes, repeating back his own beliefs to him. Maybe he is of such caliber that, unlike most Americans, he can not only tolerate views that he doesn't agree 100 percent with, but has learned to discard the bad and find the gems among them.

I know one thing for certain though, as an independent who watched the Clinton campaign's horrendously negative attacks on Obama, if she does get the nod, you can count me at this point firmly in the McCain camp. If we're going to have yet another establishment politican babyboomer, it might as well be one who really was under fire leading us, and not just some woman who slips off into fantasy land regarding her own courage.

[P. Nelson]

Reverend Wright's biography states that he was born in 1941. His father was a Baptist minister and his mother had a doctorate. HIs family appears to be very successful. He does not represent the black or white poor of this country. He represents an element of the
black population that stays in power by dividing the races.
This country now must address the issue of poverty for all races. The snippets of Rev. Wright's speeches and sermons now add up to
a portrait of a racist. In my opinion, Senator Obama for
20 years listened to a man who clearly can not hide his
hatred of whites. A racist mentor makes Senator Obama
a very risky presidential candidate.

[damnlibrul]

He's just enjoying the spotlight, pimping in advance of his book, amassing more dough for his retirement in his 10 million mansion in the rich-white-folks neighborhood.
What?Obama? "He's just a politician"!

[chris]

rev. Wright is only controversial to those who form opinions on a person without ever actually listening to the person in context. In this case that is the ignorant, the racist, and the intellectual dishonest and lazy person.

How a journalist can report on a person without doing proper research yet call themselves unbiased journalists is beyond me. How can anyone who would not take the time to listen to the whole sermon in context make an educated conclusion about a man and his 35 year body of work? If I saw Hank Aaron strike out twice on you tube could I accurately conclude he could not hit a baseball and then write stories about what a lousy hitter he was?