For Obama, the Voice of Doom? - WaPo

[ksoze]

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/roughsketch/2008/04/obamas_pastor_reignites_race_c.html

For Obama, the Voice of Doom?
Dana Milbank

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, explaining this morning why he had waited so long before breaking his silence about his incendiary sermons, offered a paraphrase from Proverbs: "It is better to be quiet and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

Barack Obama's pastor would have been wise to continue to heed that wisdom.

Should it become necessary in the months from now to identify the moment that doomed Obama's presidential aspirations, attention is likely to focus on the hour between nine and ten this morning at the National Press Club. It was then that Wright, Obama's longtime pastor, reignited a controversy about race from which Obama had only recently recovered - and added lighter fuel.

Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party and Nation of Islam official Jamil Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his view that the government created the AIDS virus to cause the genocide of racial minorities, stood by other past remarks ("God damn America") and held himself out as a spokesman for the black church in America.

In front of 30 television cameras, Wright's audience cheered him on as the minister mocked the media and, at one point, did a little victory dance on the podium. It seemed as if Wright, jokingly offering himself as Obama's vice president, was actually trying to doom Obama; a member of the head table, American Urban Radio's April Ryan, confirmed that Wright's security was provided by bodyguards from Farrakhan's Nation of Islam.

Wright suggested that Obama was insincere in distancing himself from his pastor. "He didn't distance himself," Wright announced. "He had to distance himself, because he's a politician, from what the media was saying I had said, which was anti-American."

Explaining further, Wright said friends had written to him and said, "We both know that if Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected." The minister continued: "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls."

[thereismore]

1. Fucking Milbank at it again. "minister mocked the media" - so that's what's up his crotch!

Godawful Milbank.

[NJmaverick]

2. Ah this is just some moron's blog, not a real article

I wondered what REAL journalist would be so stupid as to write this nonsense. Shame that the Post has to literally scrape the bottom of the barrel to get writers.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

3. I noticed the big anti-Obama press release today

paid for by whom?

[FrenchieCat]

4. Contact Dana Milbank and let him know the only voice of doom we hear is his and his media cohorts!

Dana Milbank -- Washington Post

Title: National Staff Writer - White House
Department: Headquarters
E-mail: [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Address: 1150 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20071-0070



I just called him and left a lengthy message.

[2rth2pwr]

5. What in that article was incorrect?

[FrenchieCat]

6. After this moment, I no longer will be seeing you on this forum......

so good bye. You are officially ignored.

[2rth2pwr]

9. The question wasn't that hard, was it?

[Tarc]

15. Frenchie is one of the worst agitators on the DU, pay em no mind

[Hoof Hearted]

26. Musta been, truth, musta been.

:rofl:

Oh God how I wish Frenchie would ignore ME.

May I borrow your question?

[QC]

17. SO NYAH NYAH NYAH NYAH NHYAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

[elizm]

21. Whoever it was, I already had them on ignore. :)

[wisteria]

16. Wright isn't running for anything. He is not trying to influence Obama or change the law of the land

So why is this a "big story"?

I know you are please for personal reasons, but this doesn't necessarily help your candidate. Those supporting Obama aren't going to flock to Clinton and she won't regain the black population her and her husband has alienated.

[2rth2pwr]

20. You must have missed Wright's words today- "If you get elected, November the 5th I'm coming after

"If you get elected, November the 5th I'm coming after you, because you'll be representing a government whose policies grind under people,’ Wright said.

[goodhue]

7. Dana Milbank is the problem, not Rev Wright

eom

[NashVegas]

8. I Think the Press's Shit Fit Is Less About Obama and More - Way More - About Wright's True Message

I wrote this Friday night after the Moyers interview:

If BO continues his campaign and gets the nod, Wright is going to have to go on every tv show he can, as often as he can, and keep putting his message out there in venues where he shows a little more reason, a little less brimstone, or BO's gonna be toast.

At the same time the talking heads are wigging out, they're giving Wright the airtime to explain himself and he's saying things that many of the most intelligent voices on the left and in the middle say that the media won't give air-time to.

[2rth2pwr]

10. What is Wright's true message? Black kids brains are different than white kids?

[NashVegas]

12. Please Chill

I'm an HC supporter. If she doesn't win the nomination, we're still going to need a Democratic president, wouldn't you agree?

You can find the transcript here.


http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04252008/transcript1.html

[2rth2pwr]

19. How about that the Gov't invented the AIDS virus to perpetuate genocide

against African-Americans, or that we are the same as Al-Queda except under a different flag?

[txaslftist]

11. They've been announcing his demise for weeks, hoping to make it happen.

It's not going to happen. Obama is still walking away with this nomination, Washington (hide the silver the negroes are coming) Post editorials notwithstanding.

This reminds me of the stories that circulated when Andy Jackson won election to the White House. No insiders could believe that a non-club-member was taking over the government.

[Cha]

13. Another mediawhore..fuck

dana milbank.

[Tarc]

14. Yep, the finally nail in the coffin of Obama's viability

Good fucking riddance.

[RiverStone]

18. Can someone please tell me who invited Wright to speak at the NPC and...

...why there was so much media in tow waiting to cover the story?

Thanks:hi:

[PlanetBev]

22. Not surprised...Milbank = puffed-up assclown

Dana Milbank got a real bee in his bonnet when Stephen Colbert delivered that lethal critique about the media at the White House Correspondent's Dinner awhile back.

All Milbank could say was, "he's not funny", knowing full well that Colbert's scathing comments about the press were dead on.

[hannybal]

23. Milbank only trashes Democrats

Never Republicans. Did you guys notice that?

[QC]

24. Not true.

A few years back the White House launched a smear campaign against him because he published an article detailing Bush's lies. It was called "For Bush, Facts are Malleable." He's been a harsh critic of Bush for years. The fact that he said something not worshipful about Obama doesn't mean he's a wingnut.

[hannybal]

27. I didn't mean 100% of the time

I meant "only trashes Democrats" the same way as "Dick Morris only attacks Hillary", which is a generalization, although we know Morris attacks obama 5% of the time.

[Hoof Hearted]

28. Isn't Dana one of KO's favorite talking heads?

Gee, that must be awkward.

[QC]

29. Yes, as a matter of fact he is!

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE ALERT!

[Hoof Hearted]

25. Cue the music.

"Cult of Personality" seems befitting.