Photograph of Bill Clinton and Rev. Wright Surfaces (NY Times)

[Kber]

Photograph of Bill Clinton and Rev. Wright Surfaces

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/photograph-of-bill-clinton-and-rev-wright-surfaces/


During one of the most difficult periods in the presidency of Bill Clinton, he addressed a group of clerics at an annual prayer breakfast in September 1998 just as the Starr report outlining his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky was about to be published.
Among those in attendance, was the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., who is seen shaking hands with Mr. Clinton in a photograph provided today by the Obama campaign.


...

And according to the newly released schedules of Mrs. Clinton by the National Archives of her years as first lady, she was in attendance, too.

...

The wording of Mr. Clinton’s thank-you note to Mr. Wright, dated Oct. 28, 1998:
Dear Pastor Wright:
Thank you so much for your kind message.
I am touched by your prayers and by the many expressions of encouragement and support I have received from friends across our country.
You have my best wishes.
Sincerely,
Bill Clinton

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. Quite cool! K & R.

:kick:

[high density]

2. I love that thank you note

LOL

[Kber]

5. You can click on the link to see a scan of the original

in case you were curious about what Bill's signature looks like.

[emilyg]

46. I got the same thank-you note from Bill.

[SoCalDem]

103. Here's another nice thank you note & picture

[samdogmom]

3. Of course...who are you going to trust????

The understanding "few" are hard to find!

Why is it that the Clinton's "loved" Rev. Wright up until the moment it became political suicide. Hmmmm!

I'm sticking with Barack. He didn't throw Rev. Wright under the bus.

I truly respect this man!

[polmaven]

19. Well, sure, because

Rev. Wright being "in attendance" at a prayer breakfast, and actually SHAKING HANDS" with President Clinton, and then the president sending him a thank you note surely rises to the level of "loved" Rev. Wright up until the moment it became political suicide.

And it absolutely compares equally with attending the church at which Rev. Wright was pastor for 20 years, the Rev. officiating at the Senator's wedding, and baptizing his children.

And how can anyone deny that that thank you note obviously proves that President Clinton considers Rev. Wright as much a mentor as Senator Obama does....I'll bet Bill argued vehemently for Hillary to appoint Rev. Wright to her campaign committee.

:crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[wileedog]

22. You're missing the point

If Wright was such a radical, America hating influence, someone so vile and horrible that he would corrupt Obama and his family....


How the FUCK did he get an invitation to White House?

Or maybe, just maybe, he was a good man who just made a couple of bad speeches?

[Straight Shooter]

27. You find out how he got invited. It's no big deal to Clinton supporters.

Maybe he ingratiated himself into the power structure. Maybe a friend of a friend of a friend. Gawd knows how he got there. The important thing is that Rev. Gerald Mann was the main guest, not Rev. Wright.

[wileedog]

37. So what?

Has Farrakan been a regular at the White House?

The point is dangerous radicals who continually make anti-American speeches are typically vetted enough that they don't get near sitting US Presidents.

This blows away the theory that Wright has been making these speeches for 20 years. Maybe, just maybe, he's a good man who occasionally has stepped out of line, not the monster everyone has painted him to be based on a few minutes of video.

[Straight Shooter]

79. No one claimed he's been making the incendiary speeches for 20 years.

He's been Obama's spiritual mentor for 20 years.

[wileedog]

86. Oh really

That's new.

So do we have a new timeframe when he became an Anti-American racist, and at what point Obama was supposed to leave his church?

[Straight Shooter]

93. He's your candidate, your candidate's pastor, you do the research.

I've got better threads on DU to read.

[VolcanoJen]

53. Exactly.

Plus, you gotta love a narrative arc. }(

[anamandujano]

69. Safe to say he didn't give a hate-filled sermon at the White House.

And Bill Clinton really did reach out to blacks more than most, then he gets labeled a racist by the Obama smear machine.

That's what he gets for reaching out.

Also, compare one meeting (when Wright would have been on best behavior) with 20 years of sermons. Can you imagine, after being invited to the White House, Wright still can't soften his anti-American rants.

[wileedog]

76. Such spin

They don't invite people who make anti-American, anti white speeches to the White House. They spend a considerable amount of time vetting these things.

The fact is Wright is no where's near as bad as he has been painted. He is a decent man who made some bad comments. Just like Obama has painted him. That is why he got to meet the President, which does not happen at random.

Wow, sucks to watch your last hope fade with a simple black and white picture, eh?

[samdogmom]

54. Sigh! I had to double check the overall response "map" before I hit the "reply"

button....

Please just give this issue a break! If you didn't get Barack's speech on this topic, then NEVER MIND! You are beyond redemption!

[polmaven]

75. You want ME to "give this issue a break"!

I do believe it was not I who stated that the Clintons
"loved" Rev. Wright up until the moment it became political suicide. Hmmmm!

Exactly where was it you saw that in the article? I "get" Barack's speech on the topic. Do you get it that the Clintons DID NOT have a relationship that was ANY WHERE CLOSE TO THE SAME?

Oh, and, why would it be "political suicide" in the first place if there was nothing to it?

Keep grasping at straws, OK?

[UALRBSofL]

61. No it was when Rev Wright was so mean towards the Clintons

Did you fall and hit your head on the pavement? Wright was nasty about Hillary, Bill and connected them with Lewinski. So, I would never say anything to help Wright if I were Hillary after what Wright said.

[PoliticalAmazon]

4. My goodness! It seems WJC and Rev. Wright are pupping up EVERYWHERE!

[usregimechange]

6. Hillary should reject and denounce her husband!

and then we can stop all this bs

[redstate_democrat]

9. kick!

[Arugula Latte]

29. Throw him under the bus!

:rofl:

[Major Hogwash]

7. Hillary's hypocrisy - breaking the glass ceiling, with her head!!!

Hitting new levels of hypocrisy, Hillary will "shoot for the moon"!

[fuertegal]

8. Did Clinton attend church regularly, get his children baptized by him, or was married by him?

Thought so.

[niceypoo]

13. Everything Obama gets caught doing...

...the zealots scream their shrill cry, "Clinton done it too."

This is exactly the excuse the republicans have used for the last 8 years.

[wileedog]

28. DId the Clintons invite him to the White House?

How awful a person could he be? Can YOU score an invite to the White House?

[emilyg]

48. My ex did.

[VolcanoJen]

55. Ha!

Thanks for my first good laugh of this weird-ass day, emilyg!!
:rofl:

[Cha]

62. No clinton got a blow job...

what's your point?

[ORDem]

72. ... jobS... over the course of a coupla of years.... while Hillary was in the WH ...

as far as I know anyway.

[alteredstate]

10. K & R

[niceypoo]

11. In lew of talking about Obamas policy positions...

...his supporters slide deeper and deeper into a mindless abyss

[Kber]

47. Maybe this is evidence that Wright may not be as bad as some people feared

(or hoped).

Or maybe that's just my view from the bottom of my abyss.

Who can say?

[ORDem]

73. LOL! Yeah, if he knows the Clintons does that mean he counts? n/t

[anamandujano]

77. or evidence that he was treated mighty fine by a sitting president.

and yet he still feels the need to rant against whites, American and even Hillary (when it suited his friend.)

[rainbow4321]

12. Ahem...Rev who pictured with President who???

Look for all picture related posts to be sent down to the DU basement and into the archives by midnight tonight..and to be on page E-12 on every newspaper around the country now that passportgate has begun.
And, yes, I have the tinfoil hat firmly in place given that the passport scandal broke within HOURS of the picture surfacing.

[Nedsdag]

14. Whoops!

:wow:

[jillan]

15. ummmm - was President Clinton attending Wright's sermons for 20 years?

Did he perform the wedding ceremony of Bill and Hillary?

Did he baptise Chelsea?

Didn't think so!

[Kber]

16. Did the Clinton WH make a habit of inviting race bating preachers

to lunch with the president?

Or maybe, just maybe, the Wright thing was a tad bit overblown in the first place.

Take your pick.

[Emit]

18. Touche`

When will people realize just how overblown this was? Sad to see so many DUers so easily manipulated by M$M.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

101. Aside from the fact that all of the videos of incendiary sermons occurred AFTER Bill left the WH....

Your spin fails.

Try harder next time.

[RBInMaine]

20. NOT THE POINT. The point is Wright has been demonized by the right wing media and

by many Hillary fans and higher-up supporters, and yet he was apparently respected enough to have been invited TO THE WHITE HOUSE by the Clinton administration. (Personally, I think enough is enough on this Wright thing. It's been answered, it's been dealt with, and there are MUCH bigger fish to fry, like, uh, how to end the war, fix the economy, etc.)

[slinkerwink]

30. exactly. If he was good enough for White House, then why is he being trashed by Clinton supporters?

[Colobo]

17. Yeah!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

21. Why is this a bad thing?

:rofl: at the Eeyores among us.

:kick:

[Cha]

65. It's not bad ..it's very good..

blowback from a blowjob..how fitting.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

71. "blowback from a blowjob...how fitting"

Yee Hah the evil blowjob, which apparently involves Rev. Wright. :shrug:

[Cha]

84. Apparently Pastor Wright was giving

bil clinton comfort in his hour of need.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

89. WTF?

:wtf:

f**ing GDP.

[FrenchieCat]

23. That's so interesting....

[Buzz Clik]

24. Sorry, but I find nothing wrong with associating with Rev. Wright.

Not for Bill, not for Obama.

[TwilightGardener]

45. Neither do most Obama supporters. Turns out, he's an all-right guy, at

least according to Presidents of the past.

[Buzz Clik]

97. Yeah, funny how some DUers suddenly became oh-so-concerned about patriotism.

:eyes:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

25. Oh God What A Stretch. This Is The Silly Of The Silly.

[backscatter712]

26. Can you say BLOWBACK!!!

That goes for both Hillary and McCain, who's campaign was also caught with their hand in the cookie jar when it was revealed that a McCain staffer had put up a racist mashup video with Rev. Wright clips and Obama not wearing a flag lapel pin & such.

Karma's a bitch!

:popcorn:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

36. get a grip....the good Rev is NOT the Clintons "spiritual adviser" of 20 years

[wileedog]

42. Nor is he the Anti-American racist

he has been painted as.

At least the Clintons certainly didn't think so.

[Cha]

63. I can say Blowback from

a Blowjob.

[TwilightGardener]

31. So awful, so hateful, he was invited to the White House and personally

thanked for his attendance at a difficult time. Wow.

[futureliveshere]

32. NYT supporting Obama??

Is it just me or are we seeing a decidedly more Obama-friendly NYT? This seems to have happened after his speech on Race. Good post. Thank you.

[VolcanoJen]

60. The photo was first posted by a pro-Trinity blog.

The NYT didn't break this story. Credit where credit's due. They've since removed the photo, but Ben Smith of Politico grabbed it, and hence, the NYT picks it up.

http://truthabouttrinity.blogspot.com/

[tandem5]

33. I think people need to dig up photos of Wright with McCain

for this kinda of crap to make any sense.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

34. nice picture of better days

[Kber]

49. Well, I'll generally agree with you there!

The past 7 years have been rough.

[Barack_America]

35. I don't like this move by the Obama campaign.

It sends the message that an association with Wright is damaging.

And to equate a breakfast with the relationship Barack and Wright had is just silly.

[wileedog]

39. I disagree

It makes the statement that Wright was a person of note enough to be invited to the White House.

Obviously people who spend 20 years preaching anti-American hate don't get anywhere near a sitting President, much less invited to the White House.

Obviously this is a man who has done good things and good works all his life, being mis characterized by a few speeches.

[Barack_America]

44. That is very true.

Good point.

[myrna minx]

87. What's disappointing is that Senator Clinton could have shown gravitas and stepped up

and decried this "scandal", but chose not to. :-( Even Huckabee, of all people, defended Wright.

[TwilightGardener]

41. No--it shows that Wright is, and was, a well-respected, well-known minister.

[Kber]

43. I think it sends a message that Wright

isn't the devil he's been made out to be.

Race baiting preachers don't usually make the WH guest list - they generally have people to vet those things.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

38. if Wright is so bad that merely shaking hands with him is a scandal, Obama needs to drop out now

if Wright is so bad that merely shaking hands with him is a scandal, then Obama obviously ought to drop out of the race

[wileedog]

40. Again, point missed

Wright was invited to the White House. He is obviously not the dangerous, anti-American racist he has been painted to be.

Or do you think they invite any looney to come meet a sitting President?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

94. no you miss the point...he is toxic and Clinton didn't go to his church for 20 years and didn't know

[Kber]

51. I think the point is that Wright isn't all that bad afterall.

[myrna minx]

57. I think you have missed the point.

If Rev. Wright is the horrendous blight on America's honor that he has been accused of here by many, why would the President of the United States invite him to the White House? It's not like the White House slips flyers under windshield wipers for a get together. The White House knows who is invited and knows the character of the people they invite to these functions.

[VolcanoJen]

64. The point is, Clinton shook hands with him, and Obama broke bread with him.

This thing has been blown way out of proportion, and it's far past time to denounce this nontroversy and get back to the issues which matter in this campaign.

It's always been disturbing that Clinton supporters would choose to jump on the wingnut Jeremiah Wright "story." Good opportunity to jump off, right here, right now.

[Hoof Hearted]

85. BINGO! Either Wright is toxic, or he's not. They can't have it both ways.

[TwilightGardener]

88. We never said he was. And Obama didn't disown him. And he's so

well-respected, had such a good reputation as a minister, that he was invited to the WH to pray with the President--quite an honor!

[Bread and Circus]

50. This is re-affirming. Thank you.

[Kber]

52. My pleasure.

:)

[bigtree]

56. They shook hands at a meeting of clerics?? And, the Obama camp complains about smears

and a form letter??

what a crock of shit.

[Cha]

58. Do they even know their own

history when they try and smear Obama with his Pastor Wright?!

[bigtree]

59. this isn't a 'history' with Wright and you know it. It's a photo op and a form letter

If this was the only association Obama had with Wright he'd be complaining of a smear.

[TwilightGardener]

66. You're missing the point. Wright was obviously a very well-respected,

well-known man, certainly carefully vetted before he was invited. He was OK then, he's OK now. I can understand why Obama would belong to a church where the pastor is so highly regarded he was invited to pray with the President.

[bigtree]

74. A lot of folks get invited to the White House

It doesn't look like Clinton knew the man personally, judging from the form letter the WH sent afterward.

[TwilightGardener]

80. Why was he invited? Was he publicly known as an anti-American, anti-white

racist separatist fringe radical? Or did he have a national or regional reputation as a well-respected minister?

[wileedog]

82. Yeah right.

The Secret Service habitually lets known Anti-American racists within 2 feet of the sitting President.

[wileedog]

68. He got invited to the White House

In all of your rightousness, have YOU been invited to the White House?

Everyone keeps talking about him being a racist preaching 20 years of hate. Horseshit.

Radical racist Anit-American preachers are not let in the same room with Presidents.

The fact is Wright is not the monster everyone on the Clinton side wants to portray him as. And no one knows that better than the Clintons, who INVITED him to the White House.

You. Lose.

[bigtree]

78. Plenty of folks get invited without their histories and past statements examined

for controversial remarks. This isn't at all the type of personal association that Obama enjoyed with the pastor. It's a photo op and a form letter.

[TwilightGardener]

83. No one says it's a personal relationship. But it does lend some legitimacy

to Wright and his church, and that you cannot deny.

[wileedog]

92. Nobody gets invited to the White House without some glimpse at their past

That's bullshit. The Secret Service would have a cow.

And again, I fully recognize that this has nothing to do with Obama vs. Clintons relationship. The point is if Wright is the horrible man he is painted as, he does NOT get invited to meet the President.

[ClayZ]

67. Bwahahahhah!

:rofl:

First time I laughed out loud all day!


Thanks for posting. I love DU!

[Zhade]

70. I love the smell of clinton hypocrisy in the morning. Smells like...

VICTORY.

For Obama, that is.

clinton, you got PWNED.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

100. Aside from the fact that all of the videos of incendiary sermons occurred AFTER Bill left the WH....

Your spin fails.

Try harder next time.

[Hoof Hearted]

81. Ooooooooh! Did he baptize Chelsea too? Did the Clintons sit in the pews for 20 years?

God that's lame, but keep telling yourself it will make everything better.

[wileedog]

91. Spinning away the point

Wright has been portrayed like a radical Anti-American Racist.

They don't invite those to the White House. They don't let them stand next to the President. They certainly don't get thank you notes.

So either the portrayal is wrong, or the Secret Service is.

I know who I would bet on.

[RBInMaine]

90. Fair is fair. Hillary's team is using Wright to lobby superdelegates. Give me a break !

[ElsewheresDaughter]

95. WOWWWwwww.............just Utterly fucking shameless...........

Obama is such a dispicable man.

He's actually using his own pastor as a political weapon against the Clintons?

Wow.

[SoonerPride]

98. plonk

buh bye

[workinclasszero]

96. OMG!!! This immediately disqualifies Hillary from the nomination, right Hillbots??

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Is there a bigger hypocrite in this country than Hillary Rodham Clinton??:puke:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

99. So the rich white man president invites you to the big house and you still diss him and his wife. ..

Well that's nice.

[Scurrilous]

102. K & R

:thumbsup: