“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
The story of Barack Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, hit the MSM over the last few days. But it is a story that has been simmering for quite some time. A quick Google search reveals a Rolling Stone story from over a year ago,with quotes from Wright that I’ve never heard in a pulpit. Obama, no doubt realizing that Wright might be a problem, disinvited him from his presidential announcement. Yet until the stuff hit the fan, Wright remained a part of the campaign, his testimonial only having recently been removed from the candidate’s website.
In January 2007, Obama had this to say:
Obama says that rather than advising him on strategy, Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.
“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama said. “He’s much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I’m not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that’s involved in national politics.”
This is what Obama had to say in his HuffPo blog last week:
I first joined Trinity United Church of Christ nearly twenty years ago.
[…]
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.
I’m having a bit of trouble with Obama’s statements here. The only plausible explanations I can come up with for not hearing these kinds of statements is that he didn’t go to church very often or he wasn’t very close to the pastor. Neither of those things makes much sense. After all, this is the church he was married in. This is the church that his children were baptized in. And this is the church that he has donated a lot of money to.
For Obama to say that he’s never heard these things strains credibility. And at least one Obama supporter agrees with me.
Unlike Donna Brazile, who said on Sunday’s TV show that she attends a mostly white Catholic church (and, therefore, should have kept her mouth shut instead of adding fuel to the fire), I’ve attended mostly black churches as well as mostly white churches. I can say without hesitation that I’ve heard black pastors say things that would make white people uncomfortable. Heck, I’ve heard black pastors say things that make me uncomfortable. (As a matter of fact, the pastor at the church that I grew up in, the one that I was baptized in, the one that my father was ordained in, said something that has kept me away for a number of years.) But the language of Wright? Never.
I’m not buying that Wright only said these things when Obama was absent. The very things that Obama says attracted him to this church and its pastor -“a congregation that does not merely preach social justice but acts it out each day” – belie that. Obama’s statement was an attempt to mitigate the damage, just as his disinvitation was. What Obama has demonstrated that he’s just another politician, willing to do and say whatever is necessary to get elected.
Or, as MLK Jr., said, he’s just dangerous.
UPDATE: See this article on Obama’s church. h/t: Below the Beltway
UPDATE2: The dates mentioned in that article are wrong. See here.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Observer, I think that’s a reprehensible thing to say. Equating what Vivian wrote here with any of those things demonstrates a serious disconnect from reality. I disagree with Vivian on the importance of this incident (I think), but to throw her criticism in with those moral cesspools? You either don’t know what you’re talking about, or . . . no, you just don’t know what you’re talking about.
Observer – why is it that one must either support Obama or be someone who is against real change in America? Why are the two positions mutually exclusive?
excuse me …that came out completely backwards….(that’s what happens when I try posting to blogs while working…)
why is assumed that if one doesn’t support Obama..they do not support real change?
Yes I would continue to attend the church. I love America but detest the actions some of its citizens have committed on other citizens. Historically separate but equal laws protected certain citizens who were allowed to get away with horrible crimes because they were born to a certain group. Jeremiah Wright is a product of that era. His experience is real. He never lynched, raped or killed anyone. He did however survive an era when those acts were routinely committed on people like him. There was no protection for people like him. He is speaking the truth….sometimes the truth hurts.
If the church I belonged to molested & raped little children like say the …Catholic Church I would leave. Last time I checked speaking ones mind is not a criminal act. Raping little children is…
I find it utterly amazing that a post questioning whether someone is telling the truth or telling a lie gets me lumped in with the smear machines that we all know exist. I thought I was pretty clear when I said:
All of the excuses and rationalizations can’t change the fact that Obama’s initial statements on this issue were not credible.
And now we know that Obama did indeed lie:
Hi VJP! Been a while since I’ve said anything on here but I’m one of those who are still genuinely undecided. Lawd… what’s a disappointed Pub to do! lolol I don’t trust Sen. Clinton but on the other hand the point of your post was this: Did Sen. Obama lie about hearing his pastor say hard and hateful things. He answered that question. Thanks. That puts me back where I was… do I support the warmongerer Sen. McCain (who allows the Party to continue to be hijacked by ‘conservatives’ or the other two. ARRRRRRRGH!
Keep putting it out there. Help us decide.
Joan,
I feel that I have to respond to your comment about the Catholic Church. I am a devout Catholic who happens to really love her faith (although she disagrees with some of the positions it has taken in the past few years).
What happened to the children was horrible and was wrongly covered up by some clueless leaders of the church. However, you cannot make generalizations- ALL PRIEST do NOT molest children. Period.
The Catholic church has bungled their handling of these victims and I disagree with that wholeheartedly but there is much good in our church.
I invite you to go to a local Catholic church and see for youself.
Pax Christ.
Hello Vivian,
I have to disagree with your assertion that Obama lied about hearing Wright’s comments, and that words from his speech prove this.
If you read/listen carefully, you can tell that Obama was very selective in the language he used when answering questions about Wright, especially in the speech. He said he was not in attendance and did not hear the tirade which caused the controversy. That has since been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
But in his speech, which you have quoted above, he discusses other criticism which he did hear and his carefully chosen language is really quite impressive:
“Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in the church? Yes.”
As you can see, he creates a difference between the comments that caused the uproar–which he did not hear–and comments “that could be considered controversial.” There is no way that Wright’s comments could be merely “considered controversial,” so he separates words he heard from words that have caused the uproar.
I believe this difference, and this separation between comments he heard and the comments that created the controversy are very important, and I believe it was an expert use of language in the speech to create this separation and difference.
The argument can be made that perhaps Obama heard something on par with those statements, but it seems to be hard to prove, and in this instance, I don’t think Obama can be called a liar.
IF YOU DISPUTE OR CRITACAL OF A BLACK PERSON YOU ARE CALLED A
RACAIST ASK BILL CLINTON OR FERRERA
You can’t even put Obama’s name in the same mix as Clinton and MCcain! They have given most of there adult lives to public service. It takes more than a feel good speech and that “Change” rhetoric to convince me Obama is qualified to be President of the U.S.A. Eight years as a State Senator and two years as a U.S. Senator is not enough to qualify this young man to be President of the greatest country the world. We don’t know enough about Obama!
B Daley….if Obama’s lack of experience is the case….I guess Abraham Lincoln wasn’t “experienced” enough? He had the same amount of “experience”- BOTH spent 8 years in the Ill House. Lincoln lost a Senate race and then spent ONE term in Congress.
Lincoln then got the nomination on the THIRD ballot…I guess they “didn’t know enough” about him either!
And if he had been experienced, perhaps there would not have been a Civil War in the first place.
I am a white Viet Nam (Marine). I wanted Barack Obama as our President in 2004.I trust in one thing he said “We Have a Awesome God”. I have Hope and we will Change. Reverend Wrighte is being called a racist. It is easier than understanding why he said the thing he did. Even Peter denied Jesus three times. Barack Obama will by President with a little help from his friends and Prayers from the Church Jesus the Christ built. (E PLURIBUS UNUM) From many one. Trust, Hope, Change.
Trying to keep on the subject of Obama/Wright and his speech. It’s hard I know to just concentrate on that. But tha’s the subject and unfortunately the riff.
Many Americans (more to the right of course) are looking for a reason not to support him. Pastor Wright “ignorantly” has thrown out a bone. One that Obama could have passed on but didn’t.
It took great courage to go public on this coast to coast. But then to mis-handle the ball a bit I can’t figure out. As many have said Wright’s words were far from just being controversial, the man’s simply mad. I don’t mean just a conspiracy theorist. I mean wacked!
It’s not like I haven’t heard Christian preachers say stupid things. They convinced most that “W” was running on the “GOD” ticket and that opposing him was like opposing GOD and most bought it. they have also said things that were pro-white, pro-black, anti-women, anti-immigration as well as very stupid things from everyday life.
However, when most “logical” people hear these things, as did Ms. Paige, they leave, they don’t go back, they find someone else, somewhere else to go worship. Why not Obama? Why not do it now?
To many it’s going to show bad judgement. I understand not buckling under pressure to denounce, condemn, someone you like. But he’s running for President and not all the rules work the same, especially for Obama. I think his speech, while courageous, was weak and only helped Clinton which in turn will elect another Republican.
JBW