Was Jeremiah Wright's speech set up by a Clinton supporter?

Well, here's a most interesting connection we just came across.

Everybody is talking today about how much the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's latest unrepentant militant remarks hurt his most prominent parishoner, Sen. Barack Obama, and his chances to win the Democratic presidential nomination and the general election. So much so that the Obama camp realized the latent danger overnight and the candidate was forced to speak out publicly a second time today, as The Ticket noted here earlier today.

There was little doubt left in today's remarks by Obama, who recently said he could no more disown Wright than he could the black community. He pretty much disowned Wright today. Obama described himself as "outraged" and "saddened" by "the spectacle of what we saw yesterday."

But now, it turns out, we should have been paying a little less attention to Wright's speech and the histrionics of his ensuing news conference and taken a peek at....

who was sitting next to him at the head table for the National Press Club event.

It was the Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds, a former editorial board member of USA Today who teaches at the Howard University School of Divinity. An ordained minister, as New York Daily News writer Errol Louis points out in today's column, she was introduced at the press club event as the person "who organized" it.

But guess what? She's also an ardent longtime booster of Obama's sole remaining competitor for the Democratic nomination, none other than Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York. It won't take very much at all for Obama supporters to see in Wright's carefully arranged Washington event that was so damaging to Obama the strategic, nefarious manipulation of the Clintons.

Their supporter, Reynolds, helps arrange a speech by the outspoken and egocentric Wright which receives blanket national coverage to the disadvantage of Clinton's opponent. As Louis writes: "The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted."

Reynolds has not returned e-mails or phone calls seeking comment, but Louis notes the obvious conflict between her political allegiance and her press club arrangements. He quotes a February blog entry of Reynolds saying, "My vote for Hillary in the Maryland primary was my way of saying thank you" to Clinton and her husband for his administration's successes.

In another entry, Reynolds notes critically of Obama, "It is a sad testimony that to protect his credentials as a unifier above the fray, the senator is fueling the media characterization that Rev. Dr. Wright is some retiring old uncle in the church basement."

Louis notes himself about the Wright appearance: "It's hard to exaggerate how bad the actual news conference was. Wright, steeped in an honorable, fiery tradition of Bible-based social criticism, cheapened his arguments and his movement by mugging for the cameras, rolling his eyes, heaping scorn on his critics and acting as if nobody in the room was learned enough to ask him a question."

(UPDATE: Sylvia Smith, the press club president, confirmed today that Reynolds is on the club's speakers committee. She told Michael Calderone on Politico.com that she still doesn't know whom Reynolds supports for president, adding, "Rev. Wright is newsworthy, period.")

--Andrew Malcolm

                                                                                                                            Photo Credit: Getty

Comments

[nyctenant]

What Wright is doing to Obama is Black on Black crime!
So, it must be the Whites' fault...

[Kris Davey]

No doubt. Hillary & family will go to any extent to get nominated. Well can't blame them. This is what politics is about.

[kat1park]

Ex-obama supporter, Wright did this. Not Obama. What's your point? When will you guys get it? Rev. Wright does and says what he wants to. He doesn't represent Obama when he is doing that. What is so difficult to understand about that? I don't represent my pastor. He doesn't represent me. No matter what he says. I'm my own person. I represent myself. Regardless of what I listen to or where, I still get to decide who I am and whether or not I agree with everything that comes out of a person's mouth. And I can decide to listen to what someone says and take the good and leave the bad. I do not have to agree with every single word that comes out of someone's mouth. Your arguments have no basis in reality or fact. Obama's mother is white. He is not racist. How many of you hate your mother? Use common sense.

[Lynn]

Please come out to Washington and visit the press club and see the mountain of rules they have to determine who does and does not get to speak at press club events. One person does not organize anything there.

[Polls dropping so I'M OUTRAGED?]

This will come back to bite Hillary and backfire a great deal. It will hasten her exit from the race. Clinton will do anything to get elected. Fortunately, as bill used to say, the American people will figure it out.
-----------------------

AL, its time to face reality. Give it up.
you put up a good fight but IT IS WHAT IT IS.

[Mandelay]

Yes, of course, Hillary did this. But it didn't start with the press club; it started over 20 years ago when Hillary first began writing Rev. Wright's sermons. Then, through a carefully planned series of events made to look like coincidence, she lured Barack Obama into joining Wright's church and you know the rest. But seriously, by calling Wright a "crazy old uncle," Obama seems to have earned the Wrath of Wright all on his own.

[Alasdair]

This is all just ridiculous, Hillary may or may not have set it up (and I wouldn't put it past her), but either way she's unfit to be President at all. She has actually gone on record saying something to the effect of her time as first lady being like an internship for the presidency.... All I can say to that is 'Wow'.

Obama is an intelligent free-thinking man with the guys and drive to do what he must to win, but still keeps his morals intact as he does so. Hillary is weak and stupid, she took back her husband after he so publicly humiliated her? It was obvious at that point she'd be using that connection to get into the White House.

Just remember the entire Clinton family brought shame to this country, and they deserve to live a while as those "regular working class" people they constantly talk about helping.

[Ann Knapp]

Here we go again! Blame the Clintons. Please........give me a break. What you see is what you get. He was reflecting the truth of what Obama listened to for 20 yrs. The NAACP program was not set up by the same person. It was no different than the press meeting. In fact the man who introduced Rev. Wright all but said you better elect Obama or there is going to be another Watts type explosion if the Dems don't pick him. How long will people be naive to how the black community feels towards the white community? What Rev. Wright spoke has more truth to it than most blacks want people to know as it is too easy to continue blame whites for all their problems, even yet. Poor Obama, the real truth is out of the bag now.

[David T]

You should read about Rev. Barbara Reynolds before you start rolling conspiracy theories. On March 17th she wrote about Wright and excoriated the press's treatment of him. No doubt she supported his being a speaker to give him a chance to defend himself. Just because people with the eye of a poltical "analyst" say he "cheapened his arguments and his movement by mugging for the cameras, rolling his eyes, heaping scorn on his critics and acting as if nobody in the room was learned enough to ask him a question." Maybe other people didn't see it that way.

Maybe it was a carefully crafted move between Obama and Wright to make Wright appear so completely over the top that Obama could finally confront this now in the open and move on rather than have it drag on for months in August, September and October. Sounds just as plausible to me.

Obama is going to win the nomination and it is a good thing. I get the feeling that fewer Obama supporters would vote for Clinton if she wins the nomination than Clinton supporters would vote for Obama if he wins? Don’t lose focus on what really matters in November, this “my way or the highway” attitude has to stop or the dems might as well not nominate anyone.

Reference: http://reynoldsworldnews.blogspot.com/2008/03/pastor-jeremiah-wright.html#links

[Dick B.]

The issue is not Clinton's presumed supporter organizing this event (shame on you for such a conspiracy theory), it is Rev. Wright's thoughts/beliefs and what the association of Barak Obama with this man for 20 years may say about Barak's world view. I think it was appropriate to have thought about JFK's Catholic religion, and Romeny's religion and what that might say about how they would perform in the Presidency. It is not racist to ask the same question about Obama's belonging to a black community where Rev. Wright holds a very important position. This may not be about policy positions, but it is fair to wonder how a candidate's world view affect's their actual policy as opposed to that which is groomed for public view in the election cycle.

I do not find myself convinced by Obama's belated clarification of how he and Rev. Wright differ.

[Joe]

No, Hillary didn't have to make him act like anything. She didn't have to.

Nowhere in the article does it say anything more than that one of her biggest campaigners set up the press conference.

Why is everyone arguing against arguments that no one made? They're called straw men, so it's very sexist of you to employ them.

Please argue against straw women (or straw hermaphrodites, neuters, or indeterminately gendered objects) instead next time.

[Mandelay]

Yes, of course, Hillary did this. But it didn't start with the press club; it started over 20 years ago when Hillary first began writing Rev. Wright's sermons. Then, through a carefully planned series of events made to look like coincidence, she lured Barack Obama into joining Wright's church and you know the rest. But seriously, by calling Wright a "crazy old uncle," Obama seems to have earned the Wrath of Wright all on his own.

[JL]

I agree, it looks very fishy, and the same thought entered my mind. Wright demonstrates no allegiance to Obama nor any constructive purpose that I can perceive. It occurred to me that a big pile of bucks could convince Wright to go on the road and say things that hurt Obama.

[ForTheSheepies]

Do a little research for yourselves sheepies and you'll see that the claim that the US government bioweapon research created the AIDS virus is not far fetched at all.

Google:

NSSM 200 - Kissinger's blueprint for depopulation

House Bill 15090

PNAC - Rebuilding America's Defenses (calls for the use of race specific bioweapons)

Dr Len Horowitz

Boyd Ed Graves

This is the stuff that comes straight from the US government's mouth but the media consistently fails to report it. However it is available for any one of you to Google yourselves and do a little research of your own.

Wake up sheepies.

[Tom]

The article only brings words such as "pathetic" and "weak" to mind. Poor Obama.

[WV-DC]

So big deal, Dr. Reynolds is a Clinton supporter. Fact is, Wright was likely an Obama supporter . . . at least until Obama dissed him.

[DEB]

HILLARY,
THE MONEY YOU PAID WRIGHT OUT OF YOUR109 MILLION DOLLARS, WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU...GOD DONT LIKE UGLY, AND WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.....AND YOUR CHIICKENS WILL COME TO ROOSE SOON HRC!!!

[peabody3000]

if we link mccain to the keating 5, or hillary to BJ bubba, now there are some meaningful connections

in the meantime obama has the most reasoned views of politics going in this campaign. a kooky preacher cant change that, no matter how badly this rev wants to make a bad impression

[DEB]

HILLARY,
THE MONEY YOU PAID WRIGHT OUT OF YOUR109 MILLION DOLLARS, WILL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU...GOD DONT LIKE UGLY, AND WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.....AND YOUR CHIICKENS WILL COME TO ROOSE SOON HRC!!!

[Robert]

This is Absolutely Ridiculous !! ... the reporter of this article, Andrew Malcolm, Should be Ashamed of himself to try to put such a spin on this situation....Blaming Clinton's campaign...Don't be crazy....It is what it is...Wright is who he is and says what he believes and wants to say....Barrack Omits Wright has been a Mentor to Him for 20 Years......THATS THE ISSUE !! .....Obama, who recently said he could no more disown Wright than he could the black community.... He pretty much disowned Wright today...6 weeks ago he said Wright was like Family and could not denounce him….Whats Changed ?.....NOTHING ......Obama will Say Anything or Do Anything to Be President !!!.....P.S. You can't wallow with the likes of Rev. Wright, Antoin "Tony" Rezko and Louis Farrakhan and not get dirty !!!

[tom]

after years and years of what all these reporters know..why doesn't the great press start asking clinton about some of these people..Kevin Ives and Don Henry: Died August 1987. Reportedly, they had stumbled upon the Arkansas Mena Drug Operation (many stories and articles have been written about Clinton's affiliation with the Mena Mafia) It was first reported that these two young boys died as a result of falling asleep on a railroad track. It was later revealed that Ives had received a crushed skull prior to being placed on the tracks and Henry had been stabbed to death. The following 7 deaths were all of people who reportedly had knowledge and information concerning the mysterious, unsolved murders of Kevin Ives and Don Henry:

Keith Coney:died July 1988 from injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident. Some reports indicated that he was being chased by an unidentified vehicle.
Keith McKaskle: died Nov. 1988 from multiple stab wounds
Greg Collins: died Jan. 1989 from a gunshot wound to the head. No suspect was ever found.
Jeff Rhodes: died April 1989 from a gunshot wound to the head. His body was burned and thrown in a dumpster.
James Milam: died 1989. His death was ruled as being from natural causes, until his head was later recovered from a trash bin!
Richard Winters: died July 1990 from injuries sustained during a robbery attempt. He was a suspect in the death of Kevin Ives and Don Henry. Some reports claim the robbery was only a setup.
Jordan Kettleson: died June 1990. He died from gunshot wounds and was found sitting in his truck.

[Dont let Hamas pick our president]

Desertion by the credulous and naïve from the Obama camp are becoming most contagious and nearing if not
surpassing pandemic proportions. The Barack bubble is
bursting and Amahdinejad,Chavez,Kim Jong-Ill and other
Cstros will not be coming to a theater near you. You can
fool some of the people some of the time but not all the
people all of the time.

[PJinOH]

True colors!

Because I'm.....what "pattern"?!?!

[Margie]

I CAN'T SEE THAT OBAMA WOULD MAKE GOOD HUSBAND MATERIAL. HE ALLOWS PEOPLE TO MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIM AND PROTECT HIM. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO ARE DUPED NEED TO REALIZE THAT OUR ADVERSARIES WOULD NOT GIVE HIM SLACK IF HE WERE PRESIDENT. OBAMA'S A WIMP; HILLARY'S TOUGHER THAN HIM.

[The People]

Doesn't really matter, McCain will win hands down. All the Demo. ping-ponging is just intertainment.

Sorry, but true...