Hillary has the nerve to assail Rev. Wright

[ProSense]

Ya Think?

As you know, earlier today Hillary Clinton tried to stoke the Jeremiah Wright controversy by telling an editorial board meeting in Pittsburgh that Jeremiah Wright "would not have been my pastor" and then going on to note that she had denounced Don Imus in contrast to Obama's allegedly more tolerant attitude toward hate speech.

Later in the afternoon she repeated the same comments at a press conference and when asked why she had chosen to engage Obama on the Wright controversy she seemed to suggest that rather than being intentional she was only providing an answer to a direct question. "Well I answered a question in an ed board today that was very specific about what I would have done," Clinton told the reporter, "And you know I'm just speaking for myself, and i was answering a question that was posed to me."

(Video)

Now obviously, Hillary's been in the political big leagues for a while. She knows how to deflect a question. But it's actually much richer than this. This afternoon Greg Sargent and I were talking this over and one of us realized that this wasn't just any Pittsburgh paper. It was the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the money-losing, vanity, fringe sheet of Richard Mellon Scaife, funder of the Arkansas Project, the American Spectator during its prime Clinton-hunting years and virtually every right-wing operation of note at one point or another over the last twenty years or more.

In fact, what I only discovered late this evening, when Eric Kleefeld sent me this link at National Review Online, is that not only was it Scaife's paper. Scaife himself was there sitting just to Clinton's right apparently taking part in the questioning.



This alone has to amount to some sort cosmic encounter like something out of a Wagner opera. Remember, this is the guy who spent millions of dollars puffing up wingnut fantasies about Hillary's having Vince Foster whacked and lots of other curdled and ugly nonsense. Scaife was the nerve center of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Those of us who spent years defending the Clintons from all that malarkey learned this point on day one.

But there's more.

Let's game this out. Hillary's saying this wasn't some planned thing. She just got hit with this question and she answered it. But here's my question. You think Richard Mellon Scaife might want to dig into the Jeremiah Wright story? This is sort of like, 'Hey, I go on Hannity and next thing you know he's asking me about Wright and Farrakhan. How was I supposed to see that coming?'

I don't know just how this went down. But the idea Sen. Clinton and her staff went into an editorial board meeting with Scaife and his lackey reporters without a clear sense that they were going to get at least one choice Jeremiah Wright question just somehow doesn't ring true to me.

My Dad - and Dr. Wright

by haremoor

Tue Mar 25, 2008 at 09:55:04 PM PDT

I wrote this diary a week ago. I've been asked to submit it again, in light of Hillary's comments today.

I have said repeatedly on this site and others that I will vote for the Democratic candidate for President. I will do it for the soldiers in Iraq, if for no other reason. But after today, if I have to vote for Hillary, I will leave the country. I want my child to grow up with hope - like I did.

<…>

He read books so that he could walk in the shoes of Native Americans, He talked to people so that he could put on some Jewish shoes, or African shoes, or the shoes worn in the American Revolution, or the Old West. He married my mother, whose parents were Italian immigrants, and he put those shoes on as well. We called him the ‘Secretary General’, because his oldest son married a Ukrainian woman with two children. My younger sister married a Korean man. His granddaughter, my older sister’s oldest daughter, adopted 5 black sisters to rescue them from a crack whore mom. I am married to a Chinese woman, and we have a son of our own, and one from her first marriage. Quite the melting pot. My Dad loved them all.

Which brings me to Dr. Wright and Barack Obama. See, I know Dr. Wright. In the 90’s, I recorded his sermons at the Interdenominational Ministers Conference in Harrisburg, PA. Every year, for 10 years, I provided live sound and recording services for this week long revival. For 5 days in a row, Dr. Wright would preach, and I would record. It was a challenge for a lot of reasons. First, all of these preachers start at a bare whisper, and end up at full volume. But if you try to turn them down, they will tell you over the PA system "Don’t you touch that fader!!!". They work the mic, they work the system, and they work the crowd. Where I recorded from, I couldn’t see the stage. One night, I heard this awful thumping noise coming from Dr. Wright’s mic, but I lost his voice. As I crept onto the wing of the stage, I saw why - he was swinging the mic on the cable, and pounding it on the stage as he exhorted the crowd to let Jesus into their hearts. I didn’t love that part, but the crowd did. Dr. Wright walked backstage, grinned at me, and said "Send me a bill for the mic."

For one week of each year, for 10 years, I hung out backstage with Dr. Wright, Dr. Owens, Dr. Moss, Jr. and Dr. Moss III, who has succeeded Wright at Trinity. As the only white guy in this crowd, and an atheist to boot, it was uncomfortable, at first. Mostly for them. So they solved it by declaring me an "honorary Negro", and trying to convert me. It made for some interesting conversations.

So what did I hear? I heard a man preach who loved Jesus with all his heart. He loved people with all his heart. He even loved me with all his heart, even though it was probably hard for him to walk in my shoes. He tried his best to make me see the light, and he never gave up on me. I heard him say things about white people in his sermons that were not flattering. I also, and more often, heard him say things about black people that were not flattering. He preached that no-holds-barred, do-the-right-thing, eye-for-an-eye stuff that is so hard to live up to, but was for him the only acceptable way to live. Dr. Wright did not turn me into a black militant. But he did turn me into a white atheist who spent a lot of time thinking about what it might be like to grow up as a black man in the America he knows. He helped me to wear those shoes, at least for a little while, and he tried to wear mine.

Imagine my surprise a week ago, when there he was, in all his Pentecostal glory, on the TV, saying "God Damn America!" What could have made him say such a thing? Maybe it was the segregated bathrooms, restaurants, hotels, busses, trains, and planes. Or was it the dogs? The fire hoses? the billy clubs? The nooses? Or maybe it was serving in the Marines, and coming home to be spit on and denied even the pretense of equality, in a country where the watchword was "Know your place."

Dr. Wright and Dr. Moss Jr. marched with Dr. King. Try marching in those shoes for a minute. Hate pouring on you like lava, fear in your heart because you know that many of the people lining the streets would happily kill you because of that one chromosome that gave you black skin, and because you had the temerity to insist that you be treated equally? I can walk in those shoes in my mind, but I don’t think I could do it for real, because I don’t have that much courage. Dr. Wright did. My Dad did too.

more

Video: FOX Lies!! Irresponsible Media! Barack Obama Pastor Wright (About former U.S. Ambassador Edward Peck)

Wright in Bill Clinton's hour of need:





Wright as a young man:





Current pastor of the church the Clintons regularly attended in Washington D.C.:

A STATEMENT CONCERNING THE REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African-American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear. Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth. Dean J. Snyder, Senior Minister Foundry United Methodist Church March 19, 2008

PDF

About Wright:

Wright was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Jeremiah Wright, Sr, was a Baptist minister. In 1959, Wright entered Virginia Union University, a historically black seminary, but became disenchanted and left in 1961 to join the US Navy. Wright then enrolled at Howard University where he received a bachelor's degree in 1968 and a Master’s degree in English in 1969. In 1975, Wright earned an additional Master’s degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School. He received a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary in 1990 (where he studied under Samuel DeWitt Proctor). Wright also has seven honorary doctorate degrees. He has lectured at many seminaries and universities in the nation.

link

Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, President, Chicago Theological Seminary:

Of course Obama learned “The Audacity of Hope” in church. When I am empty and tired and fed up, I too go to Trinity United Church of Christ to be inspired and renewed by the kind of community that knows that life is not just handed to you. You have to hope beyond hope and lift one another up to make it at all. When Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr. recently retired as senior pastor at Trinity UCC, I emailed him that I considered him the best theologian, hands down, I had ever heard from the pulpit. And believe me, I’ve heard a lot of preaching in my life.

Video: Jane Fisler Hoffman is a member of Barack's church

The consequences of the media's despicable assault on Rev. Wright, which Hillary has now joined in:

March 26, 2008, 1:24AM

Security concerns prompt Rev. Wright to cancel trip

Obama's former pastor was set to preach in Houston on Sunday

By SHANNON BUGGS and JENNIFER LEAHY
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Security concerns have prompted the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to cancel his appearance at Houston's Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church for the first time in two decades.

<...>

Wheeler's pastor, the Rev. Marcus Cosby, said Wright cited three reasons for his cancellation — "the safety of the institution to which he has been invited; ... the safety of his family, which has been placed in harm's way; and for his own safety.".

<...>

"As much as I hate for him not to come I think it's probably prudent," said Cloyd, noting that Wright does not normally travel with bodyguards or assistants.

"There have been threats against his life and the last thing he would ever want is the potential for someone to be hurt," said Cloyd.

more

edited word

[ProSense]

1. No comments?

Hillary is despicable isn't she?

[LVjinx]

39. He wouldn't have been my pastor either.

I left a church when a pastor said far, far less than what Wright said. Let me think, I'm trying to remember the comment. Oh yes, AIDS was a curse from God against gay people. Better or worse than Wright's comments? Regardless, it was enough to get me to leave that church and never go back again. Not only did I find it terribly offensive, but I had no reason to associate with people who would sit there, listen to that dreck, and have no problem with it. Those aren't people I want to be around. But, I suppose, different folks have different level of tolerance for bigotry. Or, at least, it seems so in this primary campaign that they do.

[ProSense]

2. Am I being too harsh on Hillary and the media? Is this uncomfortable? Is it BS! Am I on ignore?

Clinton redirects attention, but the focus is still on her

<...>

A couple of things. First, you may have noticed that Clinton was largely reading her answer about Jeremiah Wright. In a press conference, it’s very unusual for a presidential candidate to respond to an unprompted question by literally sticking to a script. Answers are generally extemporaneous. The fact that Clinton read her answer from a prepared text suggests, in case there was any doubt, the campaign is deliberately trying to push this line of attack. It wasn’t just a random, off-the-cuff remark.

Second, Clinton insisted at the press conference, “I was answering a question that was posed to me.” Look, Clinton is extremely smart, and she’s been through more media interviews than almost any political figure in modern history. If she didn’t want to go after Obama on this, she could have brushed past the question posed to her. In fact, this story has been brewing for weeks, she’s been asked about it repeatedly, and she never said a word.

My sense is that this attack has backfired. Observers aren’t sitting around this morning asking, “Should we press Obama for more details about why he’s still with his church?” they’re asking, “Why on earth did Clinton do this?”

I suspect this isn’t what the campaign had in mind.

[Jed Dilligan]

3. There's also this little chestnut

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-ehrenreich/hillarys-nasty-pastorate_b_92361.html

[ProSense]

8. Thanks! That's some company:

At the heart of the Family's American branch is a collection of powerful rightwing politicos, who include, or have included, Sam Brownback, Ed Meese, John Ashcroft, James Inhofe, and Rick Santorum. They get to use the Family's spacious estate on the Potomac, the Cedars, which is maintained by young men in Family group homes and where meals are served by the Family's young women's group. And, at the Family's frequent prayer gatherings, they get powerful jolts of spiritual refreshment, tailored to the already-powerful.

Clinton fell in with the Family in 1993, when she joined a Bible study group composed of wives of conservative leaders like Jack Kemp and James Baker. When she ascended to the senate, she was promoted to what Sharlet calls the Family's "most elite cell," the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast, which included, until his downfall, Virginia's notoriously racist Senator George Allen. This has not been a casual connection for Clinton. She has written of Doug Coe, the Family's publicity-averse leader, that he is "a unique presence in Washington: a genuinely loving spiritual mentor and guide to anyone, regardless of party or faith, who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God."

The depraved Ed Meese speaks

[Lerkfish]

15. I think your observation is apt.

this is using religion as political football.

[ProSense]

17. It's unfathomable that this smear wasn't denounced immediately

The RW religious demagogues, who are paraded around by the media, have said far worse. What they did with Rev. Wright is attack him by distorting comments made during a sermon. It's despicable on many levels.

[TTUBatfan2008]

73. I disagree partially...

I think what he said was just as bad as them, but there's at least some hint of logic (however twisted it might be) in what he says about 9/11 and how the government has treated blacks. No, I don't think AIDS was created as genocide against blacks. But the government did the Tuskegee Experiment on blacks with syphilis as if they were lab rats, which is incredibly offensive particularly since it only ended in 1972. That was 8 frickin' years after the Civil Rights Act, as if it wasn't bad enough that the government was already engaging in it since the early 1930's. What Wright has said about 9/11 is actually something that many white liberals support and have said themselves but they are currently denouncing him for that particular comment. Falwell's reasoning for 9/11 is pure hatred. Anyone who doubts that our government's foreign policy has bit us in the ass on a number of occasions including 9/11 is delusional. Falwell simply blamed it on individuals that he has political and/or moral differences with (gays, abortionists, the ACLU, feminists, etc.). Our support of Israel is the single biggest reason for the 9/11 attacks and like I said, anyone who thinks otherwise is just as delusional as GWB (who thinks it's because of our freedom and that alone).

[sniffa]

4. K&R

I love the picture of him and LBJ.

[Catherina]

5. Rec'd n/t

[EFerrari]

6. The enormity of the injustice just leaves most people who get it speechless.

It does me.

And the corporate media are STILL attacking this good man today and casually at that.

Thanks, Pro Sense.

[ProSense]

22. I hope

Hillary's big donors are proud as they chastise Pelosi for speaking out.

[EFerrari]

23. I'm not too sure of Pelosi.

I have argued before that one reason Pelosi would not address impeachment was because Clinton didn't want that word in the air during her campaign.

We'll see soon enough.

[ShortnFiery]

7. Thanks again Prosense.

Putting this information together as a package gives us a fully picture that HRC's profound self-righteous indignation is both feigned and calculated.

It's vile - I'm beginning to wonder if, not unlike "The Decider" HRC may have socio-pathic tendencies.

The lack of conscious is demonstrated here.

Thanks again for the excellent research. :hi:

[Scurrilous]

9. K & R

:thumbsup:

[george_maniakes]

10. I'm telling you shes digging herself into a hole making judgments on who is a worthy pastor...

and who isnt. If wright isnt worthy because if his comments, what does that make the catholic church? Are catholics below hillarys standards now too as well as obama?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

11. she doesn't go to church, and wouldn't want to hear the message

anyway.

[Cheap_Trick]

18. oh, but she DOES go to church

and what a lovely church it is:sarcasm:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=5260599&mesg_id=5260599

[ProSense]

24. The hypocrisy! n/t

[mopinko]

12. a word about hyde park, obama's neighborhood.

affectionately known as the people's republic of hyde park, one of the most ethnically diverse places on the PLANET. yes, full of lefties of all stripes, as well as the folks who work at the universtiy of chicago at all levels, folks of welfare, folks like the obamas, who work in the many world class hospitals in and near the neighborhood, you get the idea.
as someone FROM here, i find it laughable that wright is anything but a broad minded and intelligent man. no leader in this area could be anything but. just not happening.
ps, this is why chicago is the democratic center of the world. open arms, and good jobs.

[undeterred]

26. trinity ucc is at 95th st not in hyde park

I am not disagreeing with you (I lived in HP for 19 years before I moved to WI). I think the Obamas probably chose a church that reflected a more middle class black community like the ones he was working with. There was an integrated UCC church in HP he could have gone to, but it would have been very different.
The ucc, black or white, is an inclusive, liberal denomination. I have no doubts about Pastor Wright. I just forgot how segregated America is till all this happened.

[niceypoo]

50. When anyone says AIDS was created "as a means of genocide against people of color"...

...their credibility goes out the window.

"The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied."

Anything but broad minded? Anything but intelligent?

IF you say so...

[ORDem]

13. The next time she spouts that nonsense about being able to choose one's pastor

someone should remind her that the same applies to husbands. Why she's still married to a serial adulterer should be the follow-up question.

:dem:

[1776Forever]

14. Excellent information! You did a fantastic job at giving a complete description of the Rev.

Thank you!

:applause:

[Voice for Peace]

16. Thanks ProSense for putting all this together. Rec'd. The diary about "my father'

was especially moving. What Hillary has engaged in here is not excusable. Not misspeaking, intentionally divisive. Her arrogance is her downfall.

[stillcool]

19. The Orchestrated Condemnation

without any investigation by the American media, is the most frightening thing I've seen in my lifetime.

It may be that Streicher is less directly involved in the physical commission of the crimes against Jews than some of his coconspirators. The submission of the Prosecution is that his crime is no less worse for that reason. No government in the world, before the Nazis came to power, could have embarked upon and it; into effect a policy of mass Jewish extermination in the way in which they did, without having a people who would back them and support them, and without having a large number of people who were prepared to carry out the murder themselves. (See Chapter XII on Persecution of the Jews.)

It was to the task of educating and poisoning the people with hate, and of producing murderers, that Streicher set himself. For 25 years he continued unrelentingly the perversion of the people and youth of Germany. He went on and on, as he saw the results of his work bearing fruit.

In the early days he was preaching persecution. As persecution took place he preached extermination and annihilation and, as millions of Jews were exterminated and annihilated, in the Ghettos of the East, he cried out for more and more.

The crime of Streicher is that he made these crimes possible, which they would never have been had it not been for him and for those like him. Without Streicher and his propaganda, the Kaltenbrunners, the Himmlers, the General Stroops would have had nobody to do their killing.

In its extent Streicher's crime is probably greater and more far-reaching than that of any of the other defendants. The misery which they caused ceased with their capture. The effects of this man's crime, of the poison that he has put into the minds of millions of young boys and girls goes on, for he concentrated upon the youth and childhood of Germany. He leaves behind him a legacy of almost a whole people poisoned with hate, sadism, and murder, and perverted by him. That people remain a problem and perhaps a menace to the rest of civilization for generations to come.

Streicher was sentenced to death by hanging at the Nuremberg Trial
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Streicher.html

[EFerrari]

21. I know. n/t

[redqueen]

20. Thank you.

K&R

[undeterred]

25. Hillary should just stop talking.

Why can't she ever just leave things alone?

[EFerrari]

27. She'd do so much better if she didn't engage in this behavior.

That's been the stake in the heart of her campaign.

She doesn't seem to be ready at any hour.

[DearAbby]

28. Awesome Post

My heart aches what they have done to this man, and for what? Wonderful post, thank you for sharing it with us.

[ProSense]

29. Joining the Conspiracy

26.03.2008

Joining the Conspiracy

Anyone reading this blog is presumably aware that, over the past several weeks, Hillary Clinton has gone out of her way to repeatedly compliment John McCain at Barack Obama's expense.

But consider a few other data points:

1) Matt Drudge hyped a photo of Obama in Somali garb that he claimed (and the Clinton campaign declined to deny) Clinton staffers had been circulating.

2) Bill Clinton went on the Rush Limbaugh show on the day of the Texas primary--after Limbaugh had spent days urging GOP voters in the state to cross over and vote for Clinton in order "rig" the election and ensure that Democrats nominated the weaker of their two candidates.

3) The Clinton campaign has been circulating an article in The American Spectator alleging that an Obama adviser, former Air Force chief Merrill McPeak, is an anti-semite and a drunk.

4) When Clinton attacked Obama on Jeremiah Wright yesterday, she did it at an editorial meeting of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the vanity publication of Richard Mellon Scaife, while sitting next to Scaife himself.

Drudge. Limbaugh. The American Spectator. Richard Mellon Scaife. What exactly is it going to take before Clinton campaign staffers recognize that they are, in essence, now working for the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy?

Ouch!

[redqueen]

30. I wonder why they chose the Somali garb thing to link her to Drudge.

The early release of her fundraising numbers was much less tenuously tied to her campaign.

[BenDavid]

31. so, all is okay for wright to make racist comments about whites?

It is okay for wright to make anti Jew and anti Israel comments? You obama folks accept that?

Obama in the Imus affair said he did not care what the man had done away from his radio work(remember Imus has been a great help to kids and their parents at the Imus Ranch for kids with cancer. But according to obama this means nothing....

Now the shoe is on the other foot as this post so shows that obama tells us we should all look at the mans life's work and separate the two....

Gee, wonder why obama was not this passionate and caring about Imus.....oh could it be that Imus is a white man? I say yes because his mentor, his leader pastor wright has strong feelings against anything white......

Obama, the bigot.....obama the reprobate

[Madam Mossfern]

33. What did Wright say that was anti-Jew?

I haven't read or heard anything like that. Do you have a direct quote or a link?

[joeglow3]

72. I have not seen anything he said

However, the implicit support he showed towards these views is somewhat disturbing:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article3636128.ece

[MethuenProgressive]

51. Only the comments about, to quote Barack Obama, "typical white people,"

Pastor Wright can take his pal Louis Farrakhan and shove him up his ass.

[indimuse]

63. from the pulpit of hate!

Hillary has evry Wright to say anything in response to this hateful crap...Wright doesn't think Hillary has ever been called a N***er! He was verbally assaulting her at the pulpit! He chose to ATTACK Hillary ,while campaigning for Barack...from the pulpit of hate!





Who Said This?


"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was integrating myself to whites,"

"I found solace in a sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race,"

"The other race (White) would always remain just that: Menacing, Alien and Apart,"

"It was into my father's image, the Black man, the son of Africa, that I'd packed all the attributes I sought in myself,"

"That hate hadn't gone away, blaming white people,"

"My grand mother was a typical white person." -Barack Oabma

[Pringles]

69. Pffft. His father, who told Obama's white grandmother that he

didn't want the Obama blood sullied by some white woman.

Racist is as racist does.

Not a big bad black man representing all blacks. Just another typical idiot racist. They come in all colors, shapes, sizes and ages. In the Democrat and Republican versions.

Looks like his son gleaned some of his talking points from good ole dad. But it's hip to hate the parent who actually raised you. That's what all the spoiled rich kids say, anyway.

[ClayZ]

32. K and R

[ProSense]

34. Donna Brazile brings Wright-gate full circle

Donna Brazile brings Wright-gate full circle

[Oilwellian]

38. Great quotes from Brazille

In short, Brazile provided a pointed reminder that some voters (African Americans, in particular, we would think) might recall that Wright did not turn on Clinton's husband during an hour of need for him.

Her comments assured another burst of attention on the Obama-Wright connection -- something her campaign didn't have to do during the white-hot heat of the controversy. And it took part of the media spotlight away from her faulty memory (or, less kindly, utter fabrication) about her visit to Bosnia when she was first lady.

Clinton could have contented herself with decrying Wright's messages without saying, in essence, that no way would she tolerate an association with the likes of him.

That's what Brazile picked up on, making a reference to Wright's willingness to join dozens of other religious figures in attending an annual White House prayer breakfast just as the Starr report on Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky -- in all its lurid detail -- was about to come out. No doubt ...

... those at the event -- at least the vast majority of them -- highly disapproved of Clinton's behavior. But they were not willing to shun him.

Brazile's none-too-subtle point: There's a potential downside to turning away, with nary a forgiving nod, from those who once stood by you.

[ProSense]

41. Agree! n/t

[Life Long Dem]

35. K & R

[me b zola]

36. A post worthy of a hundred recommendations

...and Rev Wright deserves to be treated with respect for the man that he is, for the work that he has done.



Excellent thread. :thumbsup:

[EFerrari]

37. I agree. All these facts have been swirling around in my head

but Pro Sense put them together so they can be consumed. A very fine job.

[ProSense]

40. Thank you!

Thanks everyone for the comments!

[The Night Owl]

42. LOL! Barack Obama's criticism of Jeremiah Wright has been harsher than anything Hillary Clinton...

LOL! Barack Obama's criticism of Jeremiah Wright has been harsher than anything Hillary Clinton has said about the guy.

By the way... Jeremiah Wright is a jackass who could very well cost us the election.

[EffieBlack]

43. If Obama loses the election because of Wright, it will be because of jackasses who buy into the okie

doke, not because of anything that Wright did or said.

But I don't think the American voters are as stupid as you and the MSM seem to think they are.

[ProSense]

44. You'll enjoy

this and this.

[The Night Owl]

45. We will have to agree to disagree on what impact, if any, Pastor Wright will have...

...on the general election, but you can't deny that Barack Obama's criticism of Pastor Wright has been far harsher then anything Hillary Clinton has said about the man. Will you retract your unfair accusation that Hillary Clinton has "assailed" Pastor Wright?

[ProSense]

47. No, Hillary's words were opportunistic and specific with the intent to portray wright as a racist

Was he a racist when Bill and Hillary called on him during the Lewinsky scandal?

She's a hypocrite.

[The Night Owl]

48. What Hillary Clinton said is that she would not choose Pastor Wright as her pastor now that she...

...is aware of the awful things Wright has said. And guess what... on The View, Barack Obama said that he would not choose Pastor Wright as his pastor now that he is aware of some of the awful things Wright has said... essentially the same position Clinton took.

The fact that you judge Clinton and Obama differently for having essentially the same position regarding Wright serves to demonstrate that you are one of those Obama supporters who has completely lost the capacity to be objective.

Anyway, I'll now let you get back to wallowing in double-standards. Or, if you want to retain credibility, retract your unfair accusation about Hillary Clinton. The choice is yours.

[ProSense]

53. That's not what he said.

"Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church," the senator said.

Wright retired earlier this year, before events erupted.

Obama also said on the ABC talk show that he has spoken with Wright since the uproar over the pastor's comments.

"I think he's saddened by what's happened, and I told him I feel badly that he has been characterized just in this one way and people haven't seen the broader aspect of him," Obama said.

more

[The Night Owl]

56. "I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at that church." - Barack Obama

"I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at that church." - Barack Obama

I mean, there it is in black and white... Barack Obama taking essentially the same position Hillary Clinton took.

Let me know when your ability to consider facts objectively comes back.

[ProSense]

57. Nonsense! "I told him I feel badly that he has been characterized just in this one way"

The context is clear. Your cherry picking is a distortion!

[The Night Owl]

76. Stop playing Bait and Switch. Your initial argument was that Hillary Clinton assailed Pastor Wright.

Stop playing Bait and Switch. Your initial argument was that Hillary Clinton assailed Pastor Wright. Clinton has not said anything about Pastor Wright which Barack Obama hasn't said.

Retract your unfair criticism of Clinton or apply it to Obama as well.

[ProSense]

79. Oh BS! Obama made his point clear, he has spoken to Wright since.

The church nor Obama have distanced themselves from Wright. Denouncing words that are miscontrued by others is not disowning the man.

Hillary had no reason to try to use this as a wedge! She is despicable.

[The Night Owl]

81. Now you're just flat out lying. Barack Obama has not said that Pastor Wright's comments were...

...misconstrued. What Obama said is that he would have left TUCC if Pastor Wright had not retired and had not disavowed the awful things he said.

[ProSense]

84. Who said that? Can you read? n/t

[MethuenProgressive]

52. That's a fact lost on Wright apologists. See the OP.

Shame.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

46. Hillary hippocrit: "we can choose the people we have in our lives outside of family."

and she chooses Scaife, Limbaugh, Fox News, Carville......

[MethuenProgressive]

49. Obama: "I never had church with that man!"

Why would a progressive support and defend a racist?
Because they aren't progressive.

[MethuenProgressive]

54. BREAKING - AP: Obama would have LEFT if Wright stayed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_el_pr/obama_wright

WASHINGTON - White House hopeful Barack Obama suggests he would have left his Chicago church had his longtime pastor, whose fiery anti-American comments about U.S. foreign policy and race relations threatened Obama's campaign, not stepped down.


"Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church," Obama said Thursday during a taping of the ABC talk show, "The View." The interview will be broadcast Friday.

In his sermons over the years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has railed against the United States and accused it of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. He also has said the government invented AIDS to destroy "people of color" and has shouted "God damn America" for its treatment of minorities.

Obama just responded to the OP with a Bronx cheer. :hi:

[DemVet]

58. A convenient statement at a convenient time.

[MethuenProgressive]

60. He's throwing supporters like Prosense under the bus.

All the work they've been DUing trying to rehabilitate that racist's image. All for naught.
Expect them all to start posting "Hooray for BO, he did the Wright Thing!" as they deny ever supporting Wright before.

[The Night Owl]

62. LOL! Too true.

[ProSense]

64. You forget, I agree with everything Wright said. You can't come to grips with the fact that

I can support Obama and not agree with every word that comes out of his mouth. I can understand Obama's words, and I understand Wright's.

Your responses, on the other hand, are marked by desperation.

[MethuenProgressive]

67. "“The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color."

"You forget, I agree with everything Wright said." - DU's Prosense.

[ProSense]

70. Did wright say that? Do you have a link? n/t

[joeglow3]

74. No offense, but have you even followed this???

This quote was one of the big ones that ticked people off. How could you be aware of this issue and not heard this?

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/03/21/the-full-story-behind-wright’s-“god-damn-america”-sermon/

[MethuenProgressive]

75. She's pretending to know about it, so she can say taht's something she doesn't agree with... ala BO.

:hi:

[ProSense]

77. No offense, but did you read the OP, specifically, have you watched the video at "Fox lies"? n/t

[The Night Owl]

80. The OP contains nothing indicating that Hillary Clinton has criticized Pastor Wright...

The OP contains nothing indicating that Hillary Clinton has criticized Pastor Wright any more harshly than Barack Obama has. Try again. Or, retract your unfair accusation against Hillary Clinton.

[ProSense]

82. Stop playing coy! Here full words as you already know, and can see from the video in the OP

"He would not have been my pastor," Clinton said. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."...

The Clinton campaign has refrained from getting involved in the controversy, but Clinton herself, responding to a question, denounced what she said was "hate speech."

"You know, I spoke out against Don Imus (who was fired from his radio and television shows after making racially insensitive remarks), saying that hate speech was unacceptable in any setting, and I believe that," Clinton said. "I just think you have to speak out against that. You certainly have to do that, if not explicitly, then implicitly by getting up and moving."

That is an implicit criticism of Obama for not "speaking out" or "moving" churches in response to revelations about Wright's views. Obama, however, has spoken out against Wright, denouncing his more controversial views in multiple interviews and in his big speech on race relations, though he has not disavowed the church.

link

[The Night Owl]

83. Barack Obama's own words...

- "On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike."

- "But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam."

- "As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all."


Hillary Clinton's words...

"He would not have been my pastor. You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

"You know, I spoke out against Don Imus (who was fired from his radio and television shows after making racially insensitive remarks), saying that hate speech was unacceptable in any setting, and I believe that. I just think you have to speak out against that. You certainly have to do that, if not explicitly, then implicitly by getting up and moving."

And you have the nerve to claim that Hillary Clinton, not Barack Obama, has assailed Pastor Wright? What a shameful display of double-standards.

[ProSense]

85. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

What do you think she was implying?

Hillary is despicable!

Obama

[joeglow3]

86. I feel bad for Obama.

Look, I feel bad for Obama. He is stuck in a VERY tight spot. In his first book, he spoke of his internal struggle to find his identity. I truly believe this played a role in him joining this church and also helped him launch his political career. However, a sacrifice is that he had to endure many hateful things Wright has said (US invented AIDS to kill off blacks, blatant attacks on Italians, reprinting of pro-Hamas pieces, etc.). Sorry, but there is NO WAY someone can attend a church for 20 years and not be aware of some of this. Therein lies his problem. He has 3 choices:

1. Completely throw Wright and the Church under the bus. However, this will piss off a lot on minority voters around the country.
2. Dismiss it and say it has no bearing on the election. This will piss off a bunch of white voters around the country.
3. Try to walk a fine line by speaking out against the content of the message, while maintaining his church membership, hopefully not pissing anybody off.

Clearly, 3 is his best option and the path he has taken. My concern is that it is one hell of a fine line and one small slip up could cost him big time. I don’t think is that much of a reflection on Obama, but more of a reflection on America. However, the fact is that this is what Obama must deal with and I am not convinced we have seen the end of the fallout.

[ProSense]

87. Here is what will happen:

People will realize that this is a BS smear when the truth is spread far and wide!

Obama Weathers the Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem




There will never be enough to stop the assholes from trying to exploit by distortion, but there will come a time when people realize that they are assholes.

[MethuenProgressive]

55. BREAKING - AP: Obama would have LEFT if Wright stayed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080328/ap_on_el_pr/obama_wright

WASHINGTON - White House hopeful Barack Obama suggests he would have left his Chicago church had his longtime pastor, whose fiery anti-American comments about U.S. foreign policy and race relations threatened Obama's campaign, not stepped down.


"Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church," Obama said Thursday during a taping of the ABC talk show, "The View." The interview will be broadcast Friday.

In his sermons over the years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has railed against the United States and accused it of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. He also has said the government invented AIDS to destroy "people of color" and has shouted "God damn America" for its treatment of minorities.

Obama just responded to the OP with a Bronx cheer. :hi:

[ProSense]

59. A little over excited aren't you? The OP is pretty clear about Hillary context:

opportunistic hypocrisy!

[MethuenProgressive]

65. You're blinded by the Wright.

You have every Wright in the world to endorses, support, and pray with Pastor "God DAMN America! Its in the BIBLE!" Wright if you want. But you'll have to do it without BO. Obama said he would've left the church if Pastor "No no no! The US of KKK-A!" Wright stayed. Didn't you get the o-mail?

[ProSense]

66. Here context:

March 28, 2008, 9:59 am

Obama on Rev. Wright

By Kate Phillips

In an interview on ABC’s “The View” that will be broadcast at 11 a.m. today, Senator Barack Obama talks again about his relationship with his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., saying that he would have stopped going to Trinity United Church of Christ if the circumstances were different.

“Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country for all its flaws, then I wouldn’t have felt comfortable staying there at the church,” Mr. Obama said in the interview.

He also told the show’s hosts that he had spoken with Mr. Wright since controversy erupted over excerpts of some of the pastor’s sermons. “I think he’s saddened by what’s happened, and I told him I feel badly that he has been characterized just in this one way, and people haven’t seen this broader aspect of him,” the Democratic candidate said.

(emphasis added)

Become informed.

[ProSense]

61. Where this all started, Hannity

Hannity Admits Membership With Racist Pastor

This soulless bastard declared that he would not belong to a church like Trinity!

[MethuenProgressive]

68. "This soulless bastard (Obama) declared that he would not belong to a church like Trinity!"

"Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church," Obama said Thursday

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

88. The "soulless bastard" I referred to is Hannity! Sorry you can't see the distinction. n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

78. No comment other than thank you. nt

[ProSense]

89. Chat with Wright's mentor

Return of the Podcast

March 28, 2008 7:53 PM

After a three-month break because of intense campaign coverage, the ABC News Shuffle Podcast is back.

This week's episode -- we chat with the University of Chicago Divinity School mentor of the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright and try to get some answers.

LISTEN HERE