Syndication
Jeremiah Wright
Wright’s Praise for Farrakhan Is ‘Ridiculous,’ Obama Says in Repudiating Pastor
Barack Obama took off the gloves in going after his longtime pastor over his appearance yesterday at the National Press Club:
Here’s a short snippet:
When he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century, when he equates the United States’ wartime efforts with terrorism, then there are no excuses. They offend me, they rightly offend all Americans, and they should be denounced.
Will Obama’s remarks put the Wright controversy behind him? Here’s the verdict from the partisan peanut gallery:
Where Jeremiah Wright Turns for Mideast Analysis
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s views on Israel have been an interesting footnote (and for Jews, far more than a footnote) in the larger controversy that has swirled around him. Many American Jews, it’s safe to say, have been angered by his strident criticism of Israel, as well as the publication of anti-Israel polemics in his church’s newsletter. Indeed, Barack Obama, in his speech responding to the Wright controversy, went out of his way to criticize his former pastor’s “view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.”
Now, Wright is giving us a glimpse into his preferred source of information when it comes to Israel. In his press conference today at the National Press Club, Wright was posed the following question:
Sorry, Rev. Wright, You’re No Barbara Jordan
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is back in the spotlight — this time of his own volition. Those hoping for contrition, or even a little bit of self-reflection, will be sorely disappointed. In a PBS interview with Bill Moyers and a speech today at the National Press Club, Obama’s former pastor went after his critics — with a vengeance. At the National Press Club, Wright said that attacks on his sermons were actually “an attack on the black church.”
“This is about Barbara Jordan,” he said. “This is about Fanny Lou Hamer. This is about my grandmamma.”
So apparently Wright — who fancies himself a prophetic voice — thinks that criticizing his sermons is akin to attacking the late Barbara Jordan, a beloved stateswoman who was the first African-American woman from the South elected to Congress. Since the Rev. Wright’s views and sermons are already fresh in our minds, let’s refresh our memories about Jordan’s brand of prophetic oratory.
