I was just kidding guys.

Obama doesnt seem to impressed with him.



Obama says he's outraged by former pastor's comments
By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 13 minutes ago


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Barack Obama angrily denounced his former pastor for "divisive and destructive" remarks on race, seeking to divorce himself from the incendiary speaker and a fury that threatens to engulf his front-running Democratic presidential campaign.

Obama is trying to tamp down the uproar over the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at a tough time in his campaign. The Illinois senator is coming off a loss in Pennsylvania to rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and trying to win over white working-class voters in Indiana and North Carolina in next Tuesday's primaries.
"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Obama told reporters at a news conference Tuesday.
His strong words come just six weeks after Obama delivered a sweeping speech on race in which he sharply condemned Wright's remarks but did not leave the church or repudiate the minister himself, who he said was like a family member. After weeks of staying out of the public eye while critics lambasted his sermons, the former pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago made three public appearances in four days to defend himself.
On Monday, Wright criticized the U.S. government as imperialist and stood by his suggestion that the United States invented the HIV virus as a means of genocide against minorities. "Based on this Tuskegee experiment and based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything," he said.
And perhaps even worse for Obama, Wright suggested that the church congregant secretly concurs.
"If Senator Obama did not say what he said, he would never get elected," Wright said. "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls."
Obama stated flatly that he doesn't share the views of the man who officiated at his wedding, baptized his two daughters and been his pastor for 20 years. The title of Obama's second book, "The Audacity of Hope," came from a Wright sermon.
"What became clear to me is that he was presenting a world view that contradicts who I am and what I stand for," Obama said. "And what I think particularly angered me was his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciation of his remarks were somehow political posturing. Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I'm about knows that I am about trying to bridge gaps and I see the commonality in all people."
Although Obama leads in pledged delegates, no Democrat can win the nomination without the support of the superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders who can vote their preference. The Wright furor forces those Democrats to wonder about Obama's electability in November.
Facing that reality, Obama sought to distance himself further from Wright.
"I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992, and have known Reverend Wright for 20 years," Obama said. "The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago."
The Illinois senator said of Wright's statements Monday: "All it was was a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in truth."
"Obviously, whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed," Obama said. "I don't think he showed much concern for me, more importantly I don't think he showed much concern for what we're trying to do in this campaign."
Obama said he heard that Wright had given "a performance" and when he watched news accounts, he realized that it more than just a case of the former pastor defending himself.
"His comments were not only divisive and destructive, I believe they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate," Obama said. "I'll be honest with you, I hadn't seen it" when reacting initially on Monday, he said.
Wright had asserted that criticism of his fiery sermons was an attack on the black church. Obama rejected that notion.

"He has done great damage, I do not see that relationship being the same," said Obama.
Wright recently retired from the church. He became an issue in Obama's presidential bid when videos circulated of Wright condemning the U.S. government for allegedly racist and genocidal acts. In the videos, some several years old, Wright called on God to "damn America." He also said the government created the AIDS virus to destroy "people of color."
Obama said he didn't vet his pastor before deciding to seek the presidency. He said he was particularly distressed that the furor has been a distraction to the purpose of a campaign.
"I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia explaining that he's done enormous good. ... But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS. ... There are no excuses. They offended me. They rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced."
While Obama said he remains a member of the church "obviously this has put a strain on that relationship.
"There wasn't anything constructive out of yesterday," said Obama. "All it was was a bunch of rants that aren't grounded in truth."
At one point, Obama said he understood the pressures Wright faced but wouldn't excuse his comments. "I think he felt vilified and attacked and I understand him wanting to defend himself," Obama said. "That may account for the change but the insensitivity and the outrageousness of the statements shocked me and surprised me."

What else could he possibly say? I find this whole thing extremely disturbing. When can someone be outspoken about injustices that our government has been guilty of and not be called anti-American? If anyone has earned the right to speak out and call for justice, it is the Black church. And though he doesn't speak for all black churches, he is a large part of the community of black churches. The black church has always bee outspoken and active in fighting social injustice and poverty, among many other things. It is about time that uptight, rose colored glasses wearing white folks realise that there are many injustices that America is guilty of perpetrating, and acknowledging them is a prerequisite to correcting them.

Actually, people will still think him nuts. Many Blacks (myself included) think that while he has broken no laws in speaking his mind; his mistake is in thinking he speaks for everybody Black (most importantly Senator Obama). Personally, I would rather him stop the blame and scare the Whites rhetoric; and start with suggesting some solutions.
I don't so much disagree with some of the problems Wright has brought up. I think he needs to learn to address his audience on their level. I also know that this is next to impossible for Black preachers- they have a style that scares most White people. He must also learn to pick his words a little better.

I have a question. If the government was guilty of giving the Tuskegee airmen syphilis, why is is such a jump to some of the other things that Wright suggested they have done? How is that so terrible? I certainly don't think the entire government is capable, but the guys that work in the shadows have done things like that before. Why wouldn't they do it again?

It's notsuch a jump for me, WT. There are many things that the goverment has done that we are just finding out about; and many things also that we suspect. But, this being America, without direct proof; we would just be rabble-rousing.

The good ol boy network is still the dominant power in the U.S. I think people who do not have experience being treated inhumanely quite possibly have a hard time empathising with those who have, or they allow our previous history to reflect back badly on them, when they don't really have any responsibility for it. It isn't about blame, it's about reconciliation and reforms, I think. It really isn't a threatening scenario, and the larger communities fear of black anger is somewhat unfounded. Some of these news commentators are overreacting to Wright's points, and dredging up the old fear of other this country has.

That is correct; WT. But what astounds me is why; even if we don't like Wright's words, the media still insists upon attaching those thoughts to Obama personally. I don't (and probably never will) understand this phenomenon. After all, John McCain's reverend John Hagee espouses talk of nuclear strike in the Middle East by the US. Does this mean we should attach that to McCain as well? Of couse not. How many Catholic priests have been guilty of sexually abusing young boys in their own parishes? Should we assume that every Catholic accepts this behavior? Again; I don't think so. So why should Wright and Obama be judged any different?

Exactly Joe, the idea that we subscribe to everything our friends beleieve in is ludicrous, no matter how long we have known them. It just doesn't work in the real world. Imagine if someone were to accuse you or I of harboring the exact same views as someone else on DtT, simply because we associated with them in the past, had a few discussions with said individual and even came to an agreement on a couple of benign points. I've known Gary for a bit, and whilst we have similar views on health care, obviously we don't see eye-to-eye on everything. (1st Wii post!)

Society is slowly starting to figure out this, Mike. The process is- and always will be-slow; but life is changing!