Why Won't Jeremiah Wright Just Go Away?

Rev. Jeremiah Wright almost cost Barack Obama his chance at becoming our 44th president. Not from his incendiary sermons that were caught on tape. Barack Obama handled the uproar from those video images when he gave that remarkable speech on race in Philadelphia.

Rev. Wright used poor judgement in making a speeches and interviews one weekend on PBS television, NAACP Detroit banquet and Washington Press Club. His comments were so out-of-line that weekend that the Obama family had to resign their membership in Wright's church and distance themselves from Rev. Wright on a personal basis.

Wright said he was hurt when the campaign removed him from Obama’s African American religious advisory committee last spring without sending word. [SOURCE]

“That kind of opened up a wound because … I found out I was put off the committee by watching television on a family cruise in the Caribbean,” Wright said. “Now that hurt.”

Wright was unapologetic about his April 2008 remarks that were widely condemned — including by Obama — saying reporters had “spat in my face” by not asking a single question about the 30-minute speech he gave about his theological views before he took questions.

Though he hopes to talk with Obama again once he leaves office, he also said he won’t hold back in criticizing Obama’s administration.

“I’ve already told … Obama: On Nov. 5, I’m coming after you,” he said.

“It’s not you the person … it’s the policies of this country. And as long as you are presiding over policies that grind God’s people into the earth, I’m coming after you."

Am I the only one who thought that Rev. Wright retired? Why doesn't he just fade away and enjoy his retirement years in quiet solitude?

Some of you might remember how Bill Buckner was reviled in Boston after his error at first base that many Red Sox fans thought cost them chance for world championship. Can you imagine how much Black America would have reviled Rev. Wright if his error cost Obama the presidency?

Personally, I don't have any love lost for Rev. Wright. I figure that he will be on Fox News before long. What are your thoughts on th future of Rev. Wright?

Barack Obama Throws Jeremiah Wright Under the Bus

Barack Obama tried to change the subject from Rev. Wright over the past 6-8 weeks. It didn't work. Today, he decided to change friends. Barack Obama made it clear today that he thought Rev. Wright was wrong, destructive, and disrespectful. Things turned personal today.

Barack Obama held a press conference today in which he denounced his former pastor, Rev. Wright. Obama was visibly angry and upset about the antics of Rev. Wright, especially during the Q&A session at the National Press Club on Monday. Obama went out of his way to give the benefit of the doubt to Rev. Wright a few weeks ago during the race relations speech in Philadelphia.

Rev. Wright could have stayed out of the limelight for the duration of this presidential election cycle. The issue had died down in the public eye. Instead, Rev. Wright went on a 3-day media blitz on PBS, NAACP Detroit fundraiser and National Press Club. He clowned and showed himself to be very self-centered. He enjoyed himself during the NPC Q&A session. He had no concern about Barack Obama's future. Rev. Wright decided to go on national television with this foolishness.

Barack Obama clearly divorced himself from Rev. Wright as a person, not just his comments. Obama realized over the past few days that Rev. Wright was no longer the same person that he knew over the past 20 years. Obama denounced 'ridiculous statements' made by Wright on AIDS, Farrakhan and such.

Now, we wait for the next punch to be thrown. After all, Rev. Wright is a former marine. He is a fighter... and it appears that he is also a very self-centered person that will not resist the urge to fight back. After describing Barack Obama as a phony politician over the past 3-days ... you wonder how he will respond to Obama's press conference remarks.

I'm very disappointed and sad in the road taken by Rev. Wright. All indications are that he is a very intelligent, charasmatic and motivational leader, preacher and theologian. He is a lousy friend, mentor and public figure. He decided that his personal pontification was more important than our nation's opportunity to elect the first African American president. Rev. Wright singlehandedly is putting Obama's presidential aspirations in jeopardy.

The next 72 hours is critical for Obama. He needs to successfully change the subject during his campaign in Indiana and North Carolina. If he can do it ... he may have a chance to win in both states. If we're still talking about Rev. Wright over the weekend ... then Obama may lose both states.

What say u?

Hillary Clinton's Former Pastor Defends Jeremiah Wright

Hillary Clinton simply couldn't leave well enough alone. She didn't get engaged in the flap over Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial sermon snippets for over a week ... until she needed to change the subject from her big lie on her Bosnia sniper experience. "You know, we don't have a choice when it comes to our relatives. We have a choice when it comes to our pastors and the churches we attend," she said.

That was a political mistake. She forever lost respect and future support from a wide range of folks. Field Negro's heart was broken. Keith Boykin, former member of the Clinton White House feels that Hillary owes an apology to Obama.

Perhaps the most compelling repudiation comes from Hillary's former pastor, Dean Snyder. Rev. Snyder chastised Hillary and others for demonizing Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Snyder shared the following statement on his church website:

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The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is an outstanding church leader whom I have heard speak a number of times. He has served for decades as a profound voice for justice and inclusion in our society. He has been a vocal critic of the racism, sexism and homophobia which still tarnish the American dream. To evaluate his dynamic ministry on the basis of two or three sound bites does a grave injustice to Dr. Wright, the members of his congregation, and the African American church which has been the spiritual refuge of a people that has suffered from discrimination, disadvantage, and violence. Dr. Wright, a member of an integrated denomination, has been an agent of racial reconciliation while proclaiming perceptions and truths uncomfortable for some white people to hear.
Those of us who are white Americans would do well to listen carefully to Dr. Wright rather than to use a few of his quotes to polarize. This is a critical time in America's history as we seek to repent of our racism. No matter which candidates prevail, let us use this time to listen again to one another and not to distort one another's truth.

Dean J. Snyder, Senior Minister
Foundry United Methodist Church
March 19, 2008

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I guess we know why Dean Snyder is Hillary's former pastor! Do you agree that Hillary Clinton should concede the nomination now? If not now, when do you think it should happen?

Did US Government Plant AIDS Virus in Black Community?

Have you heard commentators on television acting as if it was outrageous for Rev. Jeremiah Wright to insinuate that the U.S. Government planted AIDS in the Black community?


Perhaps Joe Scarbourgh, Tucker Carlson and Pat Buchanan can take a moment to remember that the U.S. Government conducted an experiment on 399 Black men in the late stages of syphilis from 1932 thru 1972. These men, for the most part illiterate sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. Informed that they were being treated for “bad blood,” their doctors had no intention of curing them of syphilis at all.


The data for the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was to be collected from autopsies of the men, and they were thus deliberately left to degenerate under the ravages of tertiary syphilis—which can include tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness, insanity, and death.

Perhaps we can bridge the chasm that is race relations in our country if we are willing to look deeper than the Fox News sound bite? Some 'urban legends' are based in fact.

What Kind of Prophet? * United Church of Christ Response to Jeremiah Wright Issue

Rev. Jeremiah Wright recently retired from Trinity United Church of Christ after 36 years of pastoral service. However, in the past few weeks he has been demonized by a few snippets from his past sermons.

Rev. John Thomas is the general minister and president for the United Church of Christ. Rev. Thomas shared his reflections on the rhetoric of preaching in light of recent news coverage.

Click here to see the sermon entitled, 'What Kind of Prophet?'

I'm interested in your thoughts on Rev. Thomas' sermon. I'm also curious as to whether you think that the negative impact of Rev. Wright on Obama's presidential campaign bottomed out this week ... or if Rev. Wright will be an albatross around Obama's neck throughout the campaign?

Shawn Williams is an AfroSpear blogger who noted that Black pastors often speak truth to power. What say u?

Barack Obama: On My Faith and My Church

Barack Obama responded to the recent videos of Rev. Wright in The Huffington Post. He wrote as follows:

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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, 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.

Because these particular statements by Rev. 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 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.

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Did Barack Obama answer the questions you had about this issue?