Forum Replies Created
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Welcome to the world of politics… While I won't disagree about the mudslinging, that pastor did say what he said. And less face it, if the tables were turned around and he was a white pastor saying some of thing things about black people, it would be perceived derogatory.
Comments from the Pastor:
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
I am have a tough time understanding how it's not ok for white people to make stereotype remarks about others while it's ok for minorities to make disparage remarks about white people. And no, I'm not white. At times i feel sorry for white people, because no offense, they have to put up with being P.C. a lot, and it seems like the rest of the ethicity don't have to show the same level of respect. Like I said before, race is going to be a major factor in this election. And I can see where Obama (which personally if I had to pick between Hillary or Obama I would pick Obama) is going to be a big issue. You get another public figure like Jesse Jackson coming out swinging about how you should back Obama "so that you can stick it to white people", Obama's going to lose. If there's any indication, recall the previous discussion about why certain ethnic groups (Hispanics/Asians) voted the way the did in CA. Among minorities, some don't other often trust other ethicities for fear of those favoring their own ethnicity over everyone else….You can't really "stick it to white people", because let's be frank, "white people" (whatever that means) still is a predominate demographics in America….So what some end up doing is "sticking it to other minorities". And sometimes the outspoken public figures like Jesse and/or this Pastor will only accomplish is enforce this concern among other ethnic groups. I mean, with all due respect, I can't imagine why white people wouldn't be concerned about an elected official who gets support from people who makes such statements.
Example: Let's say some public figure comes out and says demographics X are severely underrepresented in engineering. There effective immediately, I want to raise the quota of X. For the rest of us this would effectively be "reducing the quota of Y." And yup, being Asian, I would cringe at this, because effectively I would be getting the screw job just because I'm asian and predominately a lot of us are in engineering. That's why I cringe when I heard this debate between Jackson and Cypress Semiconductor while I was in the Bay Area.
Obama knows that, which is why he quickly distances himself from the pastor. Obama is smart. He knows race is going to be an issue, and that's why he's distancing himself from this pastor. Because frankly, i think he knows he's not going to win if race/ethicity becomes a major issue. He needs to win by unifying people of all backgrounds. The moment he's perceived as favoring one ethicity over the other, it's over. His selection of running mate will be critical. Selecting another minority (women,asian,hispanic etc) will probably hurt his changes, which is why I don't think a Obama/Hillary ticket would work.
McCain's campaign is going to have a field day on this one. The reason why I think you haven't seen McCain's camp in action yet is there is no need to yet. As long as this muckery goes on between Hillary/Obama, it's going to piss off enough people to swing vote when the real election comes around. Throw in Ralph nader in the mix, and it's going to get very interesting. I'm predicting Obama (if he wins the primaries) will lose a lot of Hispanic and Asian votes who will radically swing vote for Nader and/or McCain if this mudsling continues. Once the Democrat primaries are over and if Obama is selected, I would say that McCain's campaign is going to feed on the paranoia.
…..Meanwhile the real issue of the economy isn't really going to be addressed by any of the candidates.
BTW: I hate politics ,and no I'm not an expert at it.
(CNN) — A Chicago minister who delivered a fiery sermon about Sen. Hillary Clinton having an advantage over Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race because she is white is no longer a part of the Obama campaign.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is no longer serving on the African American Religious Leadership Committee, campaign sources told CNN.
In another sermon, Wright had said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself.
Obama denounced some of Wright's sermons on Friday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough."
Earlier Friday, before the announcement of Wright's departure from the Obama camp, the Illinois senator denounced some of the ministers's sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling."
"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies," Obama wrote on the liberal Web site Huffingtonpost.com about recently surfaced sermons from Wright — his longtime pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ.
"I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit," Obama continued. "In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."
Obama, during the CNN interview, said, "I just don't think it's necessary to talk about Senator Clinton or anybody in those terms." And, even though he has been a member of Trinity United for the past 20 years, Obama said he had never witnessed Wright making such statements.
"Had I heard those statements in the church, I would have told Reverend Wright that I profoundly disagree with them," Obama said, adding, "What I have been hearing and had been hearing in church was talk about Jesus and talk about faith and values and serving the poor."
The sermons in question became the subject of scrutiny earlier this week after being highlighted in an ABC News report.
At one December service, Wright argued Clinton's road to the White House is considerably easier than Obama's because of his skin color.
"Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home. Barack was," Wright says in a video of the sermon posted on YouTube. "Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary! Hillary ain't never been called a 'nigger!' Hillary has never had her people defined as a non-person."
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
Still, Obama defended his 20-year relationship with Wright, saying that the pastor has served him in a spiritual role — not a political one.
A sermon from Wright shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks is also under scrutiny. In it he said America had brought on the attacks with its own practice of terrorism.
"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," he said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."
In his statement Friday, Obama said he had not personally heard the controversial sermons.
"When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments," Obama wrote. "But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church."
And in a 2003 sermon, Wright said of America's treatment of African-Americans: "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people."God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
Obama and Wright have been close for years. Obama has been a member of Wright's church since his days in law school, and Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope," takes its title from one of Wright's sermons.
But Obama also has long maintained he is at odds with some of Wright's sermons, and has likened him to an "old uncle" who sometimes will say things Obama doesn't agree with. He has also specifically denounced Wright's 9/11 comments
[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]
—– Sour grapes for everyone!
Welcome to the world of politics… While I won't disagree about the mudslinging, that pastor did say what he said. And less face it, if the tables were turned around and he was a white pastor saying some of thing things about black people, it would be perceived derogatory.
Comments from the Pastor:
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
I am have a tough time understanding how it's not ok for white people to make stereotype remarks about others while it's ok for minorities to make disparage remarks about white people. And no, I'm not white. At times i feel sorry for white people, because no offense, they have to put up with being P.C. a lot, and it seems like the rest of the ethicity don't have to show the same level of respect. Like I said before, race is going to be a major factor in this election. And I can see where Obama (which personally if I had to pick between Hillary or Obama I would pick Obama) is going to be a big issue. You get another public figure like Jesse Jackson coming out swinging about how you should back Obama "so that you can stick it to white people", Obama's going to lose. If there's any indication, recall the previous discussion about why certain ethnic groups (Hispanics/Asians) voted the way the did in CA. Among minorities, some don't other often trust other ethicities for fear of those favoring their own ethnicity over everyone else….You can't really "stick it to white people", because let's be frank, "white people" (whatever that means) still is a predominate demographics in America….So what some end up doing is "sticking it to other minorities". And sometimes the outspoken public figures like Jesse and/or this Pastor will only accomplish is enforce this concern among other ethnic groups. I mean, with all due respect, I can't imagine why white people wouldn't be concerned about an elected official who gets support from people who makes such statements.
Example: Let's say some public figure comes out and says demographics X are severely underrepresented in engineering. There effective immediately, I want to raise the quota of X. For the rest of us this would effectively be "reducing the quota of Y." And yup, being Asian, I would cringe at this, because effectively I would be getting the screw job just because I'm asian and predominately a lot of us are in engineering. That's why I cringe when I heard this debate between Jackson and Cypress Semiconductor while I was in the Bay Area.
Obama knows that, which is why he quickly distances himself from the pastor. Obama is smart. He knows race is going to be an issue, and that's why he's distancing himself from this pastor. Because frankly, i think he knows he's not going to win if race/ethicity becomes a major issue. He needs to win by unifying people of all backgrounds. The moment he's perceived as favoring one ethicity over the other, it's over. His selection of running mate will be critical. Selecting another minority (women,asian,hispanic etc) will probably hurt his changes, which is why I don't think a Obama/Hillary ticket would work.
McCain's campaign is going to have a field day on this one. The reason why I think you haven't seen McCain's camp in action yet is there is no need to yet. As long as this muckery goes on between Hillary/Obama, it's going to piss off enough people to swing vote when the real election comes around. Throw in Ralph nader in the mix, and it's going to get very interesting. I'm predicting Obama (if he wins the primaries) will lose a lot of Hispanic and Asian votes who will radically swing vote for Nader and/or McCain if this mudsling continues. Once the Democrat primaries are over and if Obama is selected, I would say that McCain's campaign is going to feed on the paranoia.
…..Meanwhile the real issue of the economy isn't really going to be addressed by any of the candidates.
BTW: I hate politics ,and no I'm not an expert at it.
(CNN) — A Chicago minister who delivered a fiery sermon about Sen. Hillary Clinton having an advantage over Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race because she is white is no longer a part of the Obama campaign.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is no longer serving on the African American Religious Leadership Committee, campaign sources told CNN.
In another sermon, Wright had said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself.
Obama denounced some of Wright's sermons on Friday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough."
Earlier Friday, before the announcement of Wright's departure from the Obama camp, the Illinois senator denounced some of the ministers's sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling."
"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies," Obama wrote on the liberal Web site Huffingtonpost.com about recently surfaced sermons from Wright — his longtime pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ.
"I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit," Obama continued. "In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."
Obama, during the CNN interview, said, "I just don't think it's necessary to talk about Senator Clinton or anybody in those terms." And, even though he has been a member of Trinity United for the past 20 years, Obama said he had never witnessed Wright making such statements.
"Had I heard those statements in the church, I would have told Reverend Wright that I profoundly disagree with them," Obama said, adding, "What I have been hearing and had been hearing in church was talk about Jesus and talk about faith and values and serving the poor."
The sermons in question became the subject of scrutiny earlier this week after being highlighted in an ABC News report.
At one December service, Wright argued Clinton's road to the White House is considerably easier than Obama's because of his skin color.
"Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home. Barack was," Wright says in a video of the sermon posted on YouTube. "Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary! Hillary ain't never been called a 'nigger!' Hillary has never had her people defined as a non-person."
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
Still, Obama defended his 20-year relationship with Wright, saying that the pastor has served him in a spiritual role — not a political one.
A sermon from Wright shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks is also under scrutiny. In it he said America had brought on the attacks with its own practice of terrorism.
"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," he said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."
In his statement Friday, Obama said he had not personally heard the controversial sermons.
"When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments," Obama wrote. "But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church."
And in a 2003 sermon, Wright said of America's treatment of African-Americans: "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people."God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
Obama and Wright have been close for years. Obama has been a member of Wright's church since his days in law school, and Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope," takes its title from one of Wright's sermons.
But Obama also has long maintained he is at odds with some of Wright's sermons, and has likened him to an "old uncle" who sometimes will say things Obama doesn't agree with. He has also specifically denounced Wright's 9/11 comments
[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]
—– Sour grapes for everyone!
Welcome to the world of politics… While I won't disagree about the mudslinging, that pastor did say what he said. And less face it, if the tables were turned around and he was a white pastor saying some of thing things about black people, it would be perceived derogatory.
Comments from the Pastor:
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
I am have a tough time understanding how it's not ok for white people to make stereotype remarks about others while it's ok for minorities to make disparage remarks about white people. And no, I'm not white. At times i feel sorry for white people, because no offense, they have to put up with being P.C. a lot, and it seems like the rest of the ethicity don't have to show the same level of respect. Like I said before, race is going to be a major factor in this election. And I can see where Obama (which personally if I had to pick between Hillary or Obama I would pick Obama) is going to be a big issue. You get another public figure like Jesse Jackson coming out swinging about how you should back Obama "so that you can stick it to white people", Obama's going to lose. If there's any indication, recall the previous discussion about why certain ethnic groups (Hispanics/Asians) voted the way the did in CA. Among minorities, some don't other often trust other ethicities for fear of those favoring their own ethnicity over everyone else….You can't really "stick it to white people", because let's be frank, "white people" (whatever that means) still is a predominate demographics in America….So what some end up doing is "sticking it to other minorities". And sometimes the outspoken public figures like Jesse and/or this Pastor will only accomplish is enforce this concern among other ethnic groups. I mean, with all due respect, I can't imagine why white people wouldn't be concerned about an elected official who gets support from people who makes such statements.
Example: Let's say some public figure comes out and says demographics X are severely underrepresented in engineering. There effective immediately, I want to raise the quota of X. For the rest of us this would effectively be "reducing the quota of Y." And yup, being Asian, I would cringe at this, because effectively I would be getting the screw job just because I'm asian and predominately a lot of us are in engineering. That's why I cringe when I heard this debate between Jackson and Cypress Semiconductor while I was in the Bay Area.
Obama knows that, which is why he quickly distances himself from the pastor. Obama is smart. He knows race is going to be an issue, and that's why he's distancing himself from this pastor. Because frankly, i think he knows he's not going to win if race/ethicity becomes a major issue. He needs to win by unifying people of all backgrounds. The moment he's perceived as favoring one ethicity over the other, it's over. His selection of running mate will be critical. Selecting another minority (women,asian,hispanic etc) will probably hurt his changes, which is why I don't think a Obama/Hillary ticket would work.
McCain's campaign is going to have a field day on this one. The reason why I think you haven't seen McCain's camp in action yet is there is no need to yet. As long as this muckery goes on between Hillary/Obama, it's going to piss off enough people to swing vote when the real election comes around. Throw in Ralph nader in the mix, and it's going to get very interesting. I'm predicting Obama (if he wins the primaries) will lose a lot of Hispanic and Asian votes who will radically swing vote for Nader and/or McCain if this mudsling continues. Once the Democrat primaries are over and if Obama is selected, I would say that McCain's campaign is going to feed on the paranoia.
…..Meanwhile the real issue of the economy isn't really going to be addressed by any of the candidates.
BTW: I hate politics ,and no I'm not an expert at it.
(CNN) — A Chicago minister who delivered a fiery sermon about Sen. Hillary Clinton having an advantage over Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race because she is white is no longer a part of the Obama campaign.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is no longer serving on the African American Religious Leadership Committee, campaign sources told CNN.
In another sermon, Wright had said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself.
Obama denounced some of Wright's sermons on Friday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough."
Earlier Friday, before the announcement of Wright's departure from the Obama camp, the Illinois senator denounced some of the ministers's sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling."
"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies," Obama wrote on the liberal Web site Huffingtonpost.com about recently surfaced sermons from Wright — his longtime pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ.
"I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit," Obama continued. "In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."
Obama, during the CNN interview, said, "I just don't think it's necessary to talk about Senator Clinton or anybody in those terms." And, even though he has been a member of Trinity United for the past 20 years, Obama said he had never witnessed Wright making such statements.
"Had I heard those statements in the church, I would have told Reverend Wright that I profoundly disagree with them," Obama said, adding, "What I have been hearing and had been hearing in church was talk about Jesus and talk about faith and values and serving the poor."
The sermons in question became the subject of scrutiny earlier this week after being highlighted in an ABC News report.
At one December service, Wright argued Clinton's road to the White House is considerably easier than Obama's because of his skin color.
"Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home. Barack was," Wright says in a video of the sermon posted on YouTube. "Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary! Hillary ain't never been called a 'nigger!' Hillary has never had her people defined as a non-person."
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
Still, Obama defended his 20-year relationship with Wright, saying that the pastor has served him in a spiritual role — not a political one.
A sermon from Wright shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks is also under scrutiny. In it he said America had brought on the attacks with its own practice of terrorism.
"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," he said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."
In his statement Friday, Obama said he had not personally heard the controversial sermons.
"When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments," Obama wrote. "But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church."
And in a 2003 sermon, Wright said of America's treatment of African-Americans: "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people."God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
Obama and Wright have been close for years. Obama has been a member of Wright's church since his days in law school, and Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope," takes its title from one of Wright's sermons.
But Obama also has long maintained he is at odds with some of Wright's sermons, and has likened him to an "old uncle" who sometimes will say things Obama doesn't agree with. He has also specifically denounced Wright's 9/11 comments
[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]
—– Sour grapes for everyone!
Welcome to the world of politics… While I won't disagree about the mudslinging, that pastor did say what he said. And less face it, if the tables were turned around and he was a white pastor saying some of thing things about black people, it would be perceived derogatory.
Comments from the Pastor:
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
I am have a tough time understanding how it's not ok for white people to make stereotype remarks about others while it's ok for minorities to make disparage remarks about white people. And no, I'm not white. At times i feel sorry for white people, because no offense, they have to put up with being P.C. a lot, and it seems like the rest of the ethicity don't have to show the same level of respect. Like I said before, race is going to be a major factor in this election. And I can see where Obama (which personally if I had to pick between Hillary or Obama I would pick Obama) is going to be a big issue. You get another public figure like Jesse Jackson coming out swinging about how you should back Obama "so that you can stick it to white people", Obama's going to lose. If there's any indication, recall the previous discussion about why certain ethnic groups (Hispanics/Asians) voted the way the did in CA. Among minorities, some don't other often trust other ethicities for fear of those favoring their own ethnicity over everyone else….You can't really "stick it to white people", because let's be frank, "white people" (whatever that means) still is a predominate demographics in America….So what some end up doing is "sticking it to other minorities". And sometimes the outspoken public figures like Jesse and/or this Pastor will only accomplish is enforce this concern among other ethnic groups. I mean, with all due respect, I can't imagine why white people wouldn't be concerned about an elected official who gets support from people who makes such statements.
Example: Let's say some public figure comes out and says demographics X are severely underrepresented in engineering. There effective immediately, I want to raise the quota of X. For the rest of us this would effectively be "reducing the quota of Y." And yup, being Asian, I would cringe at this, because effectively I would be getting the screw job just because I'm asian and predominately a lot of us are in engineering. That's why I cringe when I heard this debate between Jackson and Cypress Semiconductor while I was in the Bay Area.
Obama knows that, which is why he quickly distances himself from the pastor. Obama is smart. He knows race is going to be an issue, and that's why he's distancing himself from this pastor. Because frankly, i think he knows he's not going to win if race/ethicity becomes a major issue. He needs to win by unifying people of all backgrounds. The moment he's perceived as favoring one ethicity over the other, it's over. His selection of running mate will be critical. Selecting another minority (women,asian,hispanic etc) will probably hurt his changes, which is why I don't think a Obama/Hillary ticket would work.
McCain's campaign is going to have a field day on this one. The reason why I think you haven't seen McCain's camp in action yet is there is no need to yet. As long as this muckery goes on between Hillary/Obama, it's going to piss off enough people to swing vote when the real election comes around. Throw in Ralph nader in the mix, and it's going to get very interesting. I'm predicting Obama (if he wins the primaries) will lose a lot of Hispanic and Asian votes who will radically swing vote for Nader and/or McCain if this mudsling continues. Once the Democrat primaries are over and if Obama is selected, I would say that McCain's campaign is going to feed on the paranoia.
…..Meanwhile the real issue of the economy isn't really going to be addressed by any of the candidates.
BTW: I hate politics ,and no I'm not an expert at it.
(CNN) — A Chicago minister who delivered a fiery sermon about Sen. Hillary Clinton having an advantage over Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race because she is white is no longer a part of the Obama campaign.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is no longer serving on the African American Religious Leadership Committee, campaign sources told CNN.
In another sermon, Wright had said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself.
Obama denounced some of Wright's sermons on Friday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough."
Earlier Friday, before the announcement of Wright's departure from the Obama camp, the Illinois senator denounced some of the ministers's sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling."
"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies," Obama wrote on the liberal Web site Huffingtonpost.com about recently surfaced sermons from Wright — his longtime pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ.
"I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit," Obama continued. "In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue."
Obama, during the CNN interview, said, "I just don't think it's necessary to talk about Senator Clinton or anybody in those terms." And, even though he has been a member of Trinity United for the past 20 years, Obama said he had never witnessed Wright making such statements.
"Had I heard those statements in the church, I would have told Reverend Wright that I profoundly disagree with them," Obama said, adding, "What I have been hearing and had been hearing in church was talk about Jesus and talk about faith and values and serving the poor."
The sermons in question became the subject of scrutiny earlier this week after being highlighted in an ABC News report.
At one December service, Wright argued Clinton's road to the White House is considerably easier than Obama's because of his skin color.
"Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home. Barack was," Wright says in a video of the sermon posted on YouTube. "Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary! Hillary ain't never been called a 'nigger!' Hillary has never had her people defined as a non-person."
Wright, who retired from his post earlier this year, also says in the video, "Who cares about what a poor black man has to face every day in a country and in a culture controlled by rich white people?"
Still, Obama defended his 20-year relationship with Wright, saying that the pastor has served him in a spiritual role — not a political one.
A sermon from Wright shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorism attacks is also under scrutiny. In it he said America had brought on the attacks with its own practice of terrorism.
"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," he said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant. Because the stuff we have done overseas has now brought right back into our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."
In his statement Friday, Obama said he had not personally heard the controversial sermons.
"When these statements first came to my attention, it was at the beginning of my presidential campaign. I made it clear at the time that I strongly condemned his comments," Obama wrote. "But because Rev. Wright was on the verge of retirement, and because of my strong links to the Trinity faith community, where I married my wife and where my daughters were baptized, I did not think it appropriate to leave the church."
And in a 2003 sermon, Wright said of America's treatment of African-Americans: "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people."God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
Obama and Wright have been close for years. Obama has been a member of Wright's church since his days in law school, and Obama's best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope," takes its title from one of Wright's sermons.
But Obama also has long maintained he is at odds with some of Wright's sermons, and has likened him to an "old uncle" who sometimes will say things Obama doesn't agree with. He has also specifically denounced Wright's 9/11 comments
[img_assist|nid=5962|title=selfportrait|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=80]
—– Sour grapes for everyone!
