<p>Candidate Obama blasts Reverend Wright. The only question is…why did it take decades for him to do this? This story is not over.</p>
<p>See: [Obama’s</a> Risky Denunciation Of Rev. Wright, Analysis: CBSNews.com’s Vaughn Ververs Says Harsh Words For Ex-Pastor May Help Obama, But Challenges Await - CBS News](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/29/politics/main4056166.shtml]Obama’s”>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/29/politics/main4056166.shtml)</p>
<p>Can an entire congregation keep and support a minister who believes what Wright espouses now? Its hard for me to believe this guy was so off the wall for a long time.</p>
<p>I believe Obama when he says that Wright wasn’t like this 20 years ago. He wouldn’t be the first elderly man to get hardening of the arteries in the brain. It’s happened in our family too - my D gets up and walks out when g’pa gets started on a rant. Also, my guess is that Obama hasn’t actually heard many of the recent sermons himself - maybe at Christmas and Easter. I’ll bet that on the other Sundays his wife gets up and takes the girls to Sunday School.</p>
<p>I get the sense that the good reverend has gotten a touch of the big camera and it’s gotten him a bit more…energized…than previously. That being said, there were parts of his NAACP address that were positively entertaining - and if he were a comedian he would have “gotten way” with much of what he said. But he tried to position himself as a spokesperson and paradigm for The Black Church, and I believe it is that extension to which Sen Obama is reacting.</p>
<p>Obama can’t have it both ways.</p>
<p>Either he was close to Wright, an active member of the church (he has given $52,000 over the last two years), and he’s lying about his ignorance now for political expedience. </p>
<p>OR</p>
<p>He never attended the church and lied about his participation all along for the political expedience of establishing his “black” credentials in his south side district and his “christian” credentials for his statewid run.</p>
<p>Either way, he’s lying.</p>
<p>BTW, Wright did not suddenly suffer hardening of the arteries. His “chickens coming home to roost” sermon was given five days after 9/11 back in 2001 and was available for sale in the church bookstore until his sermons were pulled from the shelves back in March. Obama knew.</p>
<p>Hmmm. Or Rev. Wright has gotten more vocal and more radical in recent days because of the allure of media exposure. Though I realize the spin on that option is not NEARLY as satisfactory to some.</p>
<p>DukeEgr93: That option still suggests that Wright basically cares for nothing but himself (or his message, depending on how you interpret his wanting more media exposure), bringing us full circle - because it’s very hard to believe that Obama would or could so seriously misjudge someone he apparently considered a close confidant.</p>
<p>In the words of Rev Wright “he’s doing what politicians do”.</p>
<p>Wright got that right. And I think I read that Obama gave over 22K to the church</p>
<p>The only thing that bothered me about the entire Obama press conference was the Q & A session, I heard so many uhs, ums, uhs again that I forgot what the question was. You would have thought his handlers would have prepped him better</p>
<p>the republicans are going to throw this flip flop on Wright back out there during the general election.</p>
<p>Yes, this was a waffle. I can’t disown him, now I do disown him.</p>
<p>It is as though Wright is working to undermine Obama. Not surprising if you realize that an Obama presidency would undermine Wright’s message of white oppression. Extreme elements on both sides have a lot to lose from a bridge-building, reconciliation promoting president. That is also why the extreme right wingers hate McCain.</p>
<p>1of42 - enough 20 year marriages have gone in the dumper that I am not wholly surprised that a friendship like this one might, too, if the conditions are right. </p>
<p>sue - to flip flop, Sen. Obama has to go back to not disowning 
Right now it’s an “enough is enough” situation.</p>
<p>vicarious - I definitely felt there was a some of that present. Wright is preaching a kind of “separation liberation theology,” and that would CERTAINLY be weakened if America elected Sen. Obama.</p>
<p>Vicarious I also agree with your statement. I also think that there is some narcissism involved in rev Wright’s appearing on the stage now. Just as mentions of his name were dying down, poof, he appears on 3 stages and blows the whole thing up again. </p>
<p>I had earlier hypothesized that Bill Clinton was being passive-aggresive in supporting his wife’s candidacy. i.e. making some gaffe now and then to cause negative publicity. I see Rev Wright as taking this to a whole new level.</p>
<p>I see Sen Obama as being genuinely hurt by this. I am not referring to politically, but personally. The man married Barack and Michelle. He may have baptized their two children.</p>
<p>The only way Obama is going to survive this is if they can get people to forget about Wright. Denouncing him now is too late. He’s got to get people to FORGET it. That won’t happen until they can find something else to concentrate on. Some think that it’s possible that Wright hasn’t always been this way and therefor when things said like “this isn’t the same person I knew 20 years ago” are said, that it’s enough of an excuse. Unfortunately, it’s not. When Bobby-Joe and Mary-Beth leave your church because they don’t feel comfortable there any longer, no one really notices. When Oprah leaves your church because SHE DOESN’T agree with the pastor, people notice. There is nothing Obama can say or do to “Fix” this. The only thing he can do is to find something else to get the voter’s mind on and get them to forget this.</p>
<p>Notice that most of what Wright said was neither new, or unknown to Obama before yesterday:</p>
<p>a) Obama knew about “god damn America” before yesterday and hadn’t denounced Wright.</p>
<p>b) Obama knew about the AIDS conspiracy theory before yesterday and hadn’t denounced Wright.</p>
<p>c) Obama knew about blaming American for 9/11 before yesterday and hadn’t denounced Wright.</p>
<p>None of that bothered Obama enough to break from his pastor. So what was new? What made Obama lash out?</p>
<p>Wright’s charge that Obama was just another cynical politician who would say anything to get elected. Now, THAT made Obama take notice, a direct attack on his ego and carefully constructed persona.</p>
<p>Telling, isn’t it?</p>
<p>You hit the nail on the head, I’dad.</p>
<p>The Pavlovian right wing will obsess over this “issue” with all the zeal they lavished on the Swift Boat phonies and Clinton’s sex life. Better that than address any issue of any importance to America, since substantive issues are to the right wing as water was to the Wicked Witch of the West. </p>
<p>No one else will care.</p>
<p>Here’s another take on Wright’s anger towards Obama: he knows that Obama really does agree with many of his inflammatory views, but is disavowing Wright for political reasons. Obama is a hypocrite, and Wright was calling him on it. Obama was trying to stem the damage that would be caused by Wright coming out and saying that yes, Obama does agree with me and he would be labeled as an “angry black man.” That would definitely sink his campaign. The supreme irony is that Mr. Unity really does have divisive views. This, of course, goes over everyone’s heads, especially the media. God help us all if he gets the nomination and then the GE.</p>
<p>Idad: Obama had in the past been very careful to strongly, vehemently reject the wild statements that Wright had made. But given the long spiritual relationship he had with Wright, he had refrained from denouncing the man himself. He has also been extremely careful to refrain from attacking Hillary personally or questioning her capabilities. If you watched the Philadelphia debate, he had a wonderful opportunity to skewer Hillary about the sniper fire issue but he did not. In fact he defended her at that moment. Contrast that with Hillary who took every opportunity to keep the controversial petty issues alive for political reasons.</p>
<p>Obama has conducted himself like a gentleman in the true sense of the word- he realizes that human beings are complex mixtures of good and bad, petty and profound. He does not make unwarranted personal attacks. Unfortunately, it has cost him politically. It has also hurt him personally to see that his gentleness towards Wright was not reciprocated. It is clear that Obama feels personally betrayed by Wright.</p>
<p>vicariousparent:</p>
<p>Your ode to the allegedly halo-adorned Barry riding into town on his glistening white unicorn, petting little puppies and throwing rose petals to adoring children and journalists lining the parade route is so wide of the mark that it hardly warrants a response.</p>
<p>But, just for kicks, here’s what Princeton History Professor Sean Wilentz wrote yesterday about the Obama campaign’s despicable effort to play the race race card every time they need to bolster black turnout in a southern primary:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Full article about Obama’s playing the race card:</p>
<p>[Sean</a> Wilentz: James Clyburn Happy to Play His Familiar Part Once More - Politics on The Huffington Post](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>James Clyburn Happy to Play His Familiar Part Once More | HuffPost Latest News)</p>