When I consider that Pastor Wright has praised Louis Farrakhan, I find myself feeling very worried.

[The Night Owl]

When I consider that Pastor Wright has praised Louis Farrakhan, I find myself feeling very worried that the next tape we see of Pastor Wright will be one in which he is heard making antisemitic comments. If Barack Obama is to be our nominee, should we not ask Obama to give us some assurance that his Pastor has not made any antisemitic comments?

[pitohui]

1. i think we should not

how silly it is to expect a man to be in control of another man's mouth

obama is responsible for what he says and does, wright is responsible for what he says and does, seems pretty simple to me

next question?

[xultar]

2. You can't ask Obama to give you assurances on that. How can he know what the man has said 24/7?

[The Night Owl]

6. Considering that Barack Obama considers Pastor Wright to be family...

Considering that Barack Obama considers Pastor Wright to be family, then he should feel comfortable asking Wright to tell him about any statements he has made which might be problematic in the future. I think I'm being pretty reasonable.

[scheming daemons]

12. Sorry.... even for "family" members.... a person is not responsible for the comments of others....

[The Night Owl]

14. I'm not arguing that Barack Obama is responsible for what his Pastor says. {EOM}

[Teaser]

30. Yes, you are.

One can only give assurances about things that one has, in some measure, control over.
To be 100% certain that Wright had not said such things would require that Barack Obama has the kind of power over Wright that logically equates to responsibility.

[The Night Owl]

39. Nonsense. If Barack Obama is as close to Pastor Wright as he has suggested he is...

Nonsense. If Barack Obama is as close to Pastor Wright as he has suggested he is, then he should feel perfectly comfortable asking Wright for full disclosure of problematic public statements he has made.

[EFerrari]

42. Does Barack Obama have to pander to the racist views of white voters

in your opinion?

[GodlessBiker]

3. You should ask the Pastor for such assurance.

[xultar]

25. no kidding.

[Dawgs]

4. Is Wright or Farrakhan running for President?

:shrug:

[saracat]

9. But Obama said he turns to Wright for spiritual advice and consults with him

on major decisions. What if his advisor is anti semetic? What kind of advice will he give? Wright' Daughters and his Church gave the Jerimiah T wright Award to Luis Farakahan for his "greatness".

[scheming daemons]

34. "what kind of advice will he give?"

If Obama doesn't FOLLOW the advice, it doesn't matter what advice he gives.

[saracat]

46. But he is "greatly influenced bu the advice" Obama himself says so. Greatly influenced by an anti

semite is NOT a good thing to be.

[scheming daemons]

47. There is no quote that says he is "greatly influenced"... you made that up....

...like you make up most of your arguments.


You have no idea what level of influence he has.


Since Wright and Obama's PUBLIC statements on many issues are at direct odds with one another, the evidence shows that Wright has very little influence on what Obama says and does.

[saracat]

71. Then why doesn't he leave Wrights Church since he has no influence? Why doesn't he dump Wright as a

spiritual adviser she he doesn't influence him and he disagrees with him?

[LulaMay]

23. They might as well be to enough Americans that it makes a difference.

unfortunately

[EffieBlack]

38. Just like there are plenty of Americans who think Hillary Clinton is a pathetic loser for staying

with her husband after he betrayed and then publicly humiliated her.

So what's your point?

[Cali_Democrat]

5. OMG. Obama CANNOT control another man

This is getting just ABSURD. Isn't this America where everyone has a right to speak their mind? Obama is not Wright's master, he can't control him like a slave.

[saracat]

11. Odd. Some expect Clinton to control all who endorse or know her. Why is O "exempt" ?

[Cali_Democrat]

15. I expect Clinton to control people like slaves?

That's news to me

[scheming daemons]

17. Who said she is responsible for those that endorse her or know her?

...only that she, like Obama, denounce the words of those that endorse her or know her when denunciation is called for.


I don't consider Hillary responsible for the words of ANY of her supporters.... only her own words.

[xultar]

28. Remember Spitzer. You don't know how many people were using him against her.

[Cali_Democrat]

33. Ya, because the media and Obama supporters are really blowing up the Hillary-Spitzer connection

like the Wright-Obama connection.

:eyes:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Yes, as a life long dem I'm sure you're very concerned.

:eyes:

[scheming daemons]

8. If Wright were the nominee, then you'd have reason to worry....

Wright is NOT the nominee.


Wright's words and thoughts are NOT Obama's, any more than your best friend's words are yours.



Wright very well may HAVE uttered anti-semitic remarks... and that would make Wright and anti-semite.


But it would have no bearing whatsoever on what Obama is.



You're buying into the MSM portrayal that Wright=Obama. It is not so, and it has never BEEN so.

[The Night Owl]

10. Pastor Wright is not the nominee and yet his words have hurt Barack Obama...

I just want to know about all the statements Pastor Wright has made which might hurt our potential nominee.

[scheming daemons]

13. His words have hurt Obama only among those that can't discern that Person A is not equal to Person B

...just because someone is a close friend/advisor, does not mean that they share ideals.

[LulaMay]

24. No. People do judge others by who they associate with. He stood up for Wright too.

[scheming daemons]

31. Judging people by the words of their friends is asinine.

Not once did Obama stand up for a SINGLE ONE of Wright's hateful statements.


He stood up for him as a man.


Nobody is 100% evil or 100% good. Wright has some bad parts to him, but that doesn't make the WHOLE man evil.


Only in the binary, black-and-white world of a Bushbot is somebody all bad or all good.

[LulaMay]

45. But that's what they do, especially if that person is a mentor, advisor they've got 20 yrs with

[scheming daemons]

48. My father-in-law is an unabashed racist... I've known him for 22 years.....

He's mentored me on MANY things that have nothing to do with race, but on THAT issue - he is wrong and I reject his viewpoints.


I would not want to be held to the opinions that my wife's dad has on race.... and I shouldn't be.



If Obama says that his views are not the same as Wright's on those issues, then Obama's view are not the same as Wright's on those issues. Case closed.


It's that simple.

[LulaMay]

50. You're not running for president. I'm not saying it's right, just that people do judge

a persons character by their associations, especially when it is a chosen asociation, someone people would consider as influential in a persons philosophy and actions.

[scheming daemons]

54. Fine...then examine Obama's words and actions.... do you see ANY evidence where he agrees with ....

Wright on ANY of the controversial statements?


Any public utterance by Obama... any bill he supported.... ANYTHING that makes you think Obama agrees with Wright on these hateful statements?


We have enough of Obama's words and actions available to us to judge whether Wright and Obama share similar viewpoints.


It is obvious that they do not.

[LulaMay]

59. That's not my point. It's not just what we think, it's what all voters think or are led to believe.

It's just not good.

[endarkenment]

16. The ADL has already weighed in on that. He hasn't and he isn't.

Thank you for your concern.

[Cant trust em]

18. Obama is doing all he can to disavow anti-semitism

He rejected and denounced Farrakhan already.

[Connie_Corleone]

19. Pastor Wright should drop out of the race NOW!!!!!!!

[OhioBlue]

20. Should we ask Hillary and McCain to assure us

that their pastors have not used racist language or said that women are inferior to men, or women who chose to terminate their pregnancy are murders or that gay people are sinners that are going to hell?

[bowens43]

21. who cares?

[yardwork]

22. Should we ask you to ask your pastor to make a similar assurance?

It's none of Obama's business what his pastor says or doesn't say.

I don't care if Reverend Wright has praised Farrakhan or not. Reverend Wright is not running for office. I disagree with a lot of what Farrakhan says, but he has also done praiseworthy things. Anyway, who am I to decide who is worthy of praise and who is not?

[The Night Owl]

36. If I were to run for president, I would expect my supporters to...

If I were to run for president, I would expect my supporters to ask me to find out if people I am associated with have said things which might torpedo my candidacy.

[yardwork]

41. Someone's pastors comments shouldn't "torpedo" their candidacy.

In fact, white male politicians have used highly bigoted, divisive white preachers forever, always to the apparent approval of the media and millions of voters.

[RaleighNCDUer]

26. Never mind that Obama has already long since condemned and

rejected Farrakhan.

He maybe knew a guy who knew a guy...

[Mags]

27. I think that would be fair. I mean, since the Pastor is like part

of the family, are we going to see him at family dinners in the Whitehouse?

[scheming daemons]

37. Ok Mags.... I hold you PERSONALLY responsible for every statement made by your family and friends...

EVERY SINGLE ONE.


Not fair?


You don't say?

[Mags]

43. I am wondering if he will be at White House functions

since the two are so close. I'm serious.

[scheming daemons]

49. You're not "serious"... don't pretend to be. You know he won't be.

...

[Blue State Bandit]

29. I'm not voting for Wright, I'm voting for Obama.

Obama just showed true grit. He just stepped into the breach. He said what America needed to hear. He didn't have to say what he said. All he had to do was denounce Wright. But he took the bull by the horns and did what was necessary, not what was politically expedient.

If America rejects this offer of reconciliation, then I have no faith in our ability to save our union. How can we be expected to regain our position of respect in the eyes of the world if we can't even earn that respect within our own country.

[Submariner]

32. Me too

I want to find out if Obama is anti-Lutheran, anti-Episcopalian, anti-Muslim, anti-Buddha, anti-Apollo, anti-Zeus, anti-Presbyterian, anti-Baptist, anti-Methodist, anti-fill in the blank with the latest god or religious cult. :eyes:

[JVS]

35. I'm more worried that Ed Rendell has cordial relations with Farrakhan

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1DD173FF936A25757C0A961958260

[Blue State Bandit]

51. I remember that.

[EFerrari]

40. You must have a lot of time on your hands. n/t

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

44. why don't we ask your friends if they've ever said anything favorable about someone else who's a

bigot and then make judgments about your character.

Good Lord, soon there won't be anybody left to vet or anybody who's worth a crap.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

52. I think what a candidate's pastor says is irrelevant

I can't recall ever hearing about things that other presidential candidates' pastors have said. Why now? Don't try to tell me that the others have never said anything controversial.

[JoFerret]

53. Gave him the golden trumpet award or some such actually

big ceremony last year.

[scheming daemons]

55. Did Obama have anything to do with that? He's not a church elder....

..

[JoFerret]

70. Did I suggest he did?

the thread was about WRIGHT. Not Obama.

[LittleClarkie]

56. Not unless he picks his pastor for VP

His pastor is not running. Obama has rejected his pastor's words. I reckon that is enough.

[workinclasszero]

57. Well its lucky that Pastor Wright isn't running for President then, eh?

When is hate radio and the MSM going to start investigating every person Hillary Clinton has ever associated with?

[pointsoflight]

58. Guilt by association of an associate's associate?

Holy cow, please tell me we're not going there. You could probably link just about anybody to anybody else with a chain like that.

[NOLALady]

60. So,

If Obama's pastor has made anti semitic remarks, does that mean Obama should not run for President?

I'm willing to bet Pastor Wright has made anti black remarks. As a young man, Pastor Wright probably made quite a few sexist remarks. Should we be concerned about all of Pastor Wright's remarks or are we picking and choosing which remarks deserve outrage?

[The Night Owl]

63. My point is that if Barack Obama is to be the Democratic nominee, then he needs to show us...

My point is that if Barack Obama is to be the Democratic nominee, then he needs to show us that he is doing everything he can to anticipate and deal with any problems which might arise regarding his association with Pastor Wright. The fact that Obama did not put out a negative statement about Wright until after Wright became a problem for him has really shaken my confidence in the guy's judgment and foresight. How did Obama not know that the Wright tapes would be a serious problem for him? How? I just don't get it.

[NOLALady]

64. I haven't been following this closely.

Are you saying that Obama knew about the Wright tapes before they surfaced?

If he did, do you think he should be expected to go over all of Wrights sermons to determine which could cause problems? And when will it end? Should he address every interaction he has had with friends over the last 20/30/40 years, to determine if his friends views would be detrimental to his campaign?

Or maybe he didn't expect Wright to be a problem considering the nutcase ministers associated with other candidates.

"Katrina was a punishment from God"

[The Night Owl]

66. Yes!

Yes! Barack Obama should have had someone on his staff go through Pastor Wright's sermons to identify potential bombshells. At the very least, Obama should have asked Wright to tell him about any public statements he has made which might pose a problem for his candidacy.

Running for president is tough business and one doesn't get elected president by simply keeping his or her fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

[mythyc]

72. i agree with this post. It strikes me as odd that he wouldn't have been aware at all

especially given how sharp the campaign has been on so many other issues etc

[NOLALady]

61. Amazing that this is all they have to attack him.

Guilt by association.

Did Pastor Wright and Louis Farrakhan vote for the IWR that's responsible for the collapse of our company and thousands of unnecessary deaths?

I don't see where Wright or Farrakhan is a threat to anyone. They have absolutely no power.

[elixir]

62. I'm sure that this will come out also.

[TacticalPeek]

65. "a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell"

“When (Obama’s) enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli to visit Colonel Gadaffi with Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell,” Wright once said.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3177684.ece

Hell of an image. "Yeah, that might have to happen."

Just sayin'.

[The Night Owl]

67. The Times Online is a News Corp site and should be considered untrustworthy. {EOM}

[TacticalPeek]

69. OK, here: New Yawk Times.

The New York Times

March 6, 2007
Disinvitation by Obama Is Criticized
By JODI KANTOR

CHICAGO, March 5 —

snip

Since Mr. Obama made his presidential ambitions clear, conservatives have drawn attention to his close relationship to Mr. Wright and to the church’s emphasis on black empowerment. Tucker Carlson of MSNBC called the precepts “racially exclusive” and “wrong.” Last week, on the Fox News program “Hannity & Colmes,” Erik Rush, a conservative columnist, called the church “quite cultish, quite separatist.”

In Monday’s interview, Mr. Wright expressed disappointment but no surprise that Mr. Obama might try to play down their connection.

“When his enemies find out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli” to visit Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, Mr. Wright recalled, “with Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will dry up quicker than a snowball in hell.” Mr. Wright added that his trip implied no endorsement of either Louis Farrakhan’s views or Qaddafi’s.

Mr. Wright said that in the phone conversation in which Mr. Obama disinvited him from a role in the announcement, Mr. Obama cited an article in Rolling Stone, “The Radical Roots of Barack Obama.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/us/politics/06obama.html?pagewanted=print

Original source, reported by Jodi Kantor, NYT

[BeyondGeography]

68. Bill Clinton praised Farrakhan's million man march, Ed Rendell praised Farrakhan

Lots of people have praised aspects of what Farrakhan has done.