Barack Obama: Righting the Wrongs of Wright

BREAKING:  In a stunning blog post (!) at the Huffington Post, Barack Obama addresses the inflammatory statements made last year by now-retired Rev. Jeremiah Wright at the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, which the Senator and his family attend:

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, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Rev. Wright that are at issue.

Read the entire post and experience the heartfelt, thoughtful, and beautifully sculpted writing of a profoundly intelligent man.  Bravo, Senator, and not a moment too soon.

Comments

[low-tech cyclist]

Wow. Just wow.

That was exactly the way he had to play it, and he did it far better than one would have thought was humanly possible.

He had to condemn, and in no uncertain terms, the inflammatory things Wright said.

But he couldn't throw Wright under the bus. Their association has been too long and too close. He had to stand behind Wright as a pastor and a friend. He did.

Good on ya, Barack Obama. Now let's roll the rest of the way to the White House.

[david]

Though I generally agree with you have to say about the skill of the piece and its timeliness, I admit to being a little concerned by your fawning tone.

[litbrit]

Well, since I am an individual and not an employee of any media organ, and insofar as this blog offers broad forum for the interests, passions, and alliances of each individual contributor without requiring all to think as one--and without encouraging any to constrain his impressions, dampen his enthusiasm, or pretend to be coolly, cynically unmoved when in fact he is genuinely excited and engaged--I don't think there is a problem. I fawn over the genius of Frank Zappa, too. Every Friday.

I appreciate your concern, though, David.

[Sir Charles]

Obama's piece was remarkably well said, concise, genuine, and appropriate in tone. (Does that sound fawning?) Hopefully it will help put an end to this distraction.

[Can I confess that the term "media organ" made me giggle - Isn't that what Tucker Carlson's official title was at NSNBC?]

[LeChuck]

This is how it's done.

[Stephen]

Why did Obama do this, and then go on KO's show? There was never anything to worry about. This kind of thing never turns into a problem for Democrats, and even if it did, Obama certainly wouldn't have been affected by it.

Maybe I made him do this. Maybe no one in the entire country would have cared one bit if not for racist concern trolls like me.

/sarcasm

[Joe]

"Maybe I made him do this. Maybe no one in the entire country would have cared one bit if not for racist concern trolls like me.

/sarcasm"

I think the "/sarcasm" should go after the first sentence.

(Totally kidding. Your take on this has been far more astute than mine.)

[ikl]

Obama is right to get out in front of this and I think that it will probably blow over for now in the next few days - but that doesn't mean that it won't come back if he is the nominee. And maybe in worse form (like 527 ads - I have thought that the Republicans would use Wright in 527 ads for a long time). But at least Wright is less likely to be news then. So there is value to airing this now.

I also suspect that it is not a coincidence that this and the interviews are coming out on Friday night - Obama needs to address this, but he'd rather have it dominate the news when fewer people are paying attention.

[ikl]

And it doesn't reflect well on UCC Trinity or Obama's Chicago team that someone didn't tell Wright very clearly not to talk about politics in public during Obama's campaign. It isn't really Obama's place to say this himself, but some else close to Wright certainly should have done this. Though, I suppose that maybe they did and he didn't listen.

[Lisa Simeone]

Bravo to Obama or Jon Favreau or both of them. Very well said, indeed.

[bend]

we shant let him "say" anything, or at least the nature of the medium won't. he sure can "write" though.

[weboy]

"stunning"? Hardly. I think it helps... but it's certainly not the end of the discussion.

[litbrit]

weboy, no-one here would deign to say it is the end of the discussion. This is a discussion that has been going on for generations, and it won't end now and it won't end any time soon. I wish that were not the case, but it is, and we all know it. If we're honest, we will admit this and agree to keep talking and working things through until, one day, the discussion is no longer needed.

Obama's posted statement is, however, stunning in its force and clarity and timeliness. I love how people reflexively pick holes in that which seems, to me at least, to be a definitively appropriate statement, yet do not say what it is they feel said statement is lacking, or how they would have said it better.

So, a challenge: come on, naysayers--how the hell would you have handled this minefield of a situation any better than Senator Obama did? What sort of elegant, direct prose would you have crafted, what sort of things would you have said, and how and where would you have said them?

[Stephen]

So, a challenge: come on, naysayers--how the hell would you have handled this minefield of a situation any better than Senator Obama did?

Huh? I'm white; my pastor can say whatever he wants and it'll never hurt my electoral chances.

Maybe Obama should have thought about that before being born to a white mother and black father.

[Sir Charles]

Or he should have gone to John Hagee's church and been given a pass by the media.

[weboy]

First, I think "this minefield of a situation" is what you get when your pastor is something of a firebrand and prone to using excessive, over the top rhetoric to make a point. Knowing that, you might want to plan ahead a bit more, or a bit better.

Second, I think, once you're where Braack Obama is you don't have many choices. I don't find the statement stunning because really, what else could he say? I think Field Negro and others have it right - he said what he needed to, what he had o, to try and make this go away, without injuring a man he clearly has found to be a supportive, guiding mentor. That's the dilemma. Well said? Sure. Expected? I'd say yes.

Finally you speak of a discussion... but the point is, we're not having one. We're not talking about race or racial tensions in this country, partly because we don't like to, partly because it dredges lots of ugly things no one really wants to confront, and partly because when you do, you wind up with Geraldine Ferraro. And Jeremiah Wright. That's are discussion. We don't want it. And Obama, really is all too willing, I think, not to go there. Whether he can get around this turn of events with what he's said, remains to be seen. But that's what I mean by not the end of this. He's answered a question. He has not answered the substance of what Jeremiah Wright said (and really, in many ways, who can). But at some point, I think he may have to.

[Muslims Against Sharia]

Muslims Against Sharia call on Senators McCain and Obama to cut all ties with their racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic supporters.

McCain: http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2008/03/mccains-spiritual-guide-destroy-islam.html
Obama: http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2008/03/racist-congregation-cheering-racist.html