Posted by
federal rb on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:57:41 PM
Obama went on The View on Friday and said that if Wright had not been retiring then he would have left the church. It is fun to see a politician and his evolving story in a desparate attempt to stop the bleeding. The MSM are already over the story, but it will not end here. First he never heard of those remarks. Then he has heard some offending remarks, but these were just isolated wrong statements, and he cannot disown his preacher. Now he would've disowned him and the church if Wright hadn't been retiring.
Obama: Wright is an “an old uncle who says things I don’t always agree with”
Obama:"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."
Obama:"The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach ... 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."
Obama: "Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes."
Obama: "Had the reverend not retired, and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church."
I missed it when Wright has apologized for all or even any of the comments degrading white people, our government and this country.
So when Imus uttered a few bigoted comments he should be summarily fired. When Wright does it, heck the guy is going to retire, so let him stay up there for awhile. I like to take a person at his word, but this is really starting to strain my ability for belief. Or as Hillary would put it, "require the willing suspension of disbelief". And now I am starting to think that Obama might agree with some of the outrageuous statements.
Obama has been lauded as a refreshing new candidate, and in some apsects he is. But in others he is just the same candidate as all the other candidates on both sides of the aisle. If his speech, or lecture, about race would have included this:
"Now this controvercy has come at a really bad time for me personally. I am running as a candidate to bring the country
together on both racial and partisan terms. And this controvercy does not fit my theme so I would love to ignore it or say
anything to get it off page one. But since the media would let it go I have to address this nuissance of a story. I cannot
ignore the fact that I am a black man running for President of the United States. I am ahead in the polls, delegate count,
and the popular vote in the democratic primary. I am so close to actually winning the nomination and cannot do anything
that would potentially derail my campaign. And I am winning ninety percent of the black vote. If I would repudiate Wright's
character, then that would endanger my lock on the black vote and thus my chances at the nomination. Therefore I choose
to stand by the man even though I disagree with a few remarks that have caused the controvercy."
Now that would have been brutally honest and he would have had my respect, but the real truth cannot be spoken in our dialogue. I would have gotten out of my own pew to applaud if this would have happened.
So if Obama wants to open a conversation on race, then please answer this: If a bigoted white joke about nappy-headed hos should cause someone to be fired, then why should a repeat offending bigoted black Preacher not face the same consequences. I guess the latest message from Obama is now that we should tolerate black bigots as long as sometime in the future they are going to retire. We all know that Imus is old, wasn't retirement in his future?
Just another politician that is trying to say anything to get elected. I am anxiously awaiting what he will say next on the subject.