Barack Obama Addresses Jeremiah Wright Ties, Remarks
In response to widespread criticism and questions surrounding the nature of his relationship to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Sen. Barack Obama himself addressed Wright’s controversial comments on the Huffington Post.
Below is what Obama had to say about his close friend and spiritual mentor - whose inflammatory remarks, Barack Obama says, are by no means reflective of how the Democratic presidential hopeful feels about America.
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The pastor of my church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who recently preached his last sermon and is in the process of retiring, has touched off a firestorm over the last few days. He’s drawn attention as the result of some inflammatory and appalling remarks he made about our country, our politics, and my political opponents.
Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy.
I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue - on the campaign stump or in the pulpit.
In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.
Sen. Barack Obama (seen here speaking in Indiana March 15), wrote this letter to clarify his relationship with, and reject the comments of, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Because these particular statements by Rev. Jeremiah Wright are so contrary to my own life and beliefs, a number of people have legitimately raised questions about the nature of my relationship with Rev. Wright and my membership in the church. Let me therefore provide some context.
As I have written about in my books, I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago. I knew Rev. Wright as someone who served this nation with honor as a United States Marine, as a respected biblical scholar, and as someone who taught or lectured at seminaries across the country, from Union Theological Seminary to the University of Chicago.
He also led a diverse congregation that was and still is a pillar of the South Side and the entire city of Chicago. It’s a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day, through ministries ranging from housing the homeless to reaching out to those with HIV/AIDS.
Most importantly, Rev. Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my life. In other words, he has never been my political advisor; he’s been my pastor. And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor, and to seek justice at every turn.
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation. 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. 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.
Let me repeat what I’ve said earlier. All of the statements that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn. They in no way reflect my attitudes and directly contradict my profound love for this country.
With Rev. Wright’s retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis Moss, III, [Michelle Obama] and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church that has done so much good. And while Rev. Wright’s statements have pained and angered me, I believe that Americans will judge me not on the basis of what someone else said, but on the basis of who I am and what I believe in; on my values, judgment and experience to be President of the United States.
NATIONAL
March 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
What his Pastor said disturbs me because the feelings are out there and voiced so vehemently. I am bothered by a couple of things. Not just Barack but any of these so called leaders.
If I was in a position of public scrutiny the first thing I would do is air what I think would be my dirty public laundry as it will be aired in public. They all wait until it becomes an issue and I don’t get it.
That said, Barack was married there, his kids were Baptized there, and he was a member for 20 years. He knew what the guy was like. As soon as he decided to run he should have addressed the Pastor, his ties to questionable people, his parentage, everything. It should be common sense to an idiot ! Hmm!
March 16th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
More here: http://acropolisreview.com/2008/03/barack-obama-condemns-reverend-jeremiah.html
March 17th, 2008 at 3:42 am
No matter how you slice it, those are the retired Pastor Wright’s words not those of Barack Obama.
It is interesting how people are yapping as if the United States has done absolutely no wrong in the world and this global anti-American sentiment comes from out of freak’n nowhere. The American pulse KNOWS it has a world community perception & deed problem.
Here’s some controversial teachings from a pulpit:
___No sex before marriage
___Marriage is until death do you part
___No second marriages, while your first “spouse” still lives
Christians violate these WELL KNOWN teachings on a daily basis, but they don’t stop going to their churches just because they disagree with those aspects of Christian teachings.
No one else has sat on their own church pew and heard something controversial coming from the pulpit? I find this odd.
Most religious leaders do indeed take the liberty of defying political correctness, even if the members in the congregation do not …whether it’s Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, John Haggie, or Jeremiah Wright.
Also, how much of what Rev. Wright said was NOT true… OR is it just Rev. Wright’s audacity to be blunt with the truth, which may be accosting Americans in denial?
“Racism is alive and well in this country.”
That is an “inflammatory” statement, however, it is also a true statement.
Inflammatory but TRUE:
___Hillary Clinton does not know what it’s like to be Black in America.
___Hillary Clinton does not know what it’s like to be poor in America, living from check to check.
___The USA has been run by wealthy white “MALES.”
___The USA has been arrogant in its foreign policy, defying even the United Nations to invade Iraq.
___The USA trained the very terrorists we seek. Yes, Osama bin Laden and the like were trained by US forces.
___Blacks in America have been held to a higher standard than Whites just to gain the same end outcome of achievement.
Those statements are inflammatory but true. The “outrage” at Rev. Wright’s last few sermons appears disingenuous.
Where is the real animosity here… that he told the truth OR that the truth was told without sugar on top? No one likes getting slapped with the naked truth or any blunt assessment of the truth.
People are still dealing with the PRESCRIBED outrage, and have not yet paused for a moment to actually address the validity of the content.
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Black communication, in general, is more blunt and direct. I doubt that there are a lot of Blacks in shock mode over what Rev. Wright said, they seem to be in a more embarrassed-for-Barack mode.
[White Susie's Mom would say: Susie, sweetheart, I know you're getting much older now and you're becoming more attracted to boys, but I need you to be careful and know that you can come talk to me any time.]
[Black Susie's Mom would say: I know you think you grown, but you better keep your damn legs closed, because I'm not raising any more children. Keep your head in those damn books and off those damn boys, because all they're going to do is use you and leave you used up. Now you better hear what I'm saying. I'm here for you, but you better listen.]
For some people it’s called “keeping it real.” Pastor Wright’s words are not those of Barack Obama. Former United States Marine and Pastor, Wright was reciting US history, which IS hateful toward Black Americans. US history has in fact been hateful toward Black Americans and to do something as simple as recall American history toward Black Americans IS inflammatory at least.
___Kidnapping/Purchasing
___The Middle Passage
___Slavery
___Racism (came after slavery to justify the continuation of slavery out of Africa when whites were no longer slaved –a distinct and recognizable “skin color” became the target)
___Constitutional Definition of “less than human”
___Religious Isolation
___Jim Crow/Apartheid
___Grandfather Clause
___Educational Isolation
___Economic Isolation
___Paramour Rights (where Black women had to deal with white male sexual and companionship aggression)
___Constitutional Acknowledgement of the “inherently inequitable” Black American experience
___etc.
There is a reason “Black history” is segregated from the main stream history lessons of our grade school classrooms… it IS inflammatory just to acknowledge “Black history” in America, even though Black history is American history.
There are few ways to spin America’s behavior toward Blacks so that it sounds good.
We haven’t even done the Native American history roll call. There are aspects of America that should be damned.
“America’s” over-sensitivity at taking a “critical” look at itself has been the trademark of bigotry… and this bigotry gets reproduced everywhere we go and in every country we touch. We have spread our bigotry like the “Green Bay Tree” and the world community has been taking offense to it.
Few people are American ENOUGH to damn those things about America that should be damned.