He's Right, but...
Obama was asked today about his Jeremiah Wright and he had this to say:
Q: I don't know if you've seen it, but it's all over the wire today (from an ABC News story), a statement that your pastor (the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side) made in a sermon in 2003 that instead of singing "God Bless America," black people should sing a song essentially saying "God Damn America."
A: I haven't seen the line. This is a pastor who is on the brink of retirement who in the past has made some controversial statements. I profoundly disagree with some of these statements.
Q: What about this particular statement?
A: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.
I don't think this statement will settle this. Yes, I think it is unfair to characterize this guy's church based on a few comments made over a 7 years span...however, that is what people do. We do it with white church leaders, so it shouldn't be too surprising to see it done to black church leaders.
I think Obama should explain, in greater detail, the difference between Jeremiah Wright's political beliefs and religious ones, and how they have influenced him. Then, he should send out his fellow church member, Oprah, to talk about this issue on the news programs.
1 comments:
The problem with this is, you take these statements, add in Michelle's statements, add a flag pin or two and you start to get a picture thats a little disturbing and if you don't think it'll be a focal point in the general election, guess again. I'm not a big follower of overt symbolism and the enforcement of chest beating patriotism, but Michelle's comments have left bad feelings in my stomach. Like it or not this is a potential problem. Remember John Kerry and the questions of his patriotism, hard to defend when you don't have a military history to fall back on.
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