Obama Complains That Pastor Was ‘Boiled Down’ to Sound Clips
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday sought to quell concerns over anti-American remarks by his former pastor, saying people are paying too much attention to a small number of “stupid” comments.
Obama gave a sweeping speech on race last week in which he condemned incendiary remarks by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but the words of the former pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago continue to dog the candidate. Reflecting the campaign’s concern about the fallout, Obama used a question about religion at a town hall forum as an opportunity to address the issue.
“This is somebody that was preaching three sermons at least a week for 30 years and it got boiled down … into a half-minute sound clip and just played it over and over and over again, partly because it spoke to some of the racial divisions we have in this country,” Obama told an audience in this central North Carolina city.
“There are misunderstandings on both sides,” the Illinois senator said. “We cannot solve the problems of America if every time somebody somewhere does something stupid, that everybody gets up in arms and forgets about the war in Iraq and we forget about the economy.”
On Tuesday, Obama’s rival for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, weighed in directly, saying: “I think that given all we have heard and seen, he would not have been my pastor.”
The controversy began earlier this month when videos of Wright’s sermons surfaced, including one in which the pastor shouts “God damn America” for its treatment of minorities.
Wright has said the U.S. government invented AIDS to destroy “people of color” and also has suggested that U.S. policies in the Middle East and elsewhere were partly responsible for the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon.
In the speech last week, Obama sharply condemned Wright’s remarks and the preacher’s refusal to acknowledge progress in race relations. But he refused to repudiate his longtime spiritual mentor, saying he could no more disown Wright than he could disown his white grandmother.
Wright has canceled some planned public appearances this week. Obama said Wednesday he has spoken with the pastor.
“I have talked to him. I have not asked him to do anything,” the Illinois senator told reporters.
You guys are the only ones still calling this a controversy. Everybody else has moved on. They must not be as fair and balanced as you are.
I totally agree with the Senator….he has already spoken out on this issue…lets us all move on from the slash and burn and gutter politics that the clintons are so use to playing….I wonder her positive ratings are down to 37% and her negative ratings is 48% and she is the most polorizing of the three candidates based on the wall street polls.
GO Barack
And Don Imus’ 20 year career in radio was boiled down to a single comment.
What hypocrisy!
Obama stated when asked on Larry King if he had spoken to Wright he stated NO. Then he just got back from vacation in the same area at the same time as Wright. Hummmmmm
Boiled down? People and lives have been ruined by tracing back to a single word, phrase of hate. Sometimes even walking away did not do any good. The Senator is stuck with his preacher, love hate and all.
Racial divisions? If anything Mr. Wright making the comments that he has along with Mrs. Obama remarks about the 1st time of ever being proud of American. Is this not in fact causing racil problems.
I have a bad feeling that this is going to be a long hot racial summer especially should Obama becheated out of the nomination by the Clinton Mafia. They are evil people and we all know it to be fact.
Remember the Vince Foster case?
There you go again, Obama. I don’t know what you saw/heard, I watched at least four segments, each at least three minutes long. Rev. Wright’s messages were clearly understandable and clearly divisive and hateful. Please withdraw.
I think it’s important to note that Hillary stayed with Bill over 20 years when he violated his vows, not to mention many women. BTW, I no longer watch Fox News. Used to love them until the nomination process went biased.
Damning the U.S.A. is NOT a stupid comment.
It is a comment that should put a person in prison or strip him / her of citizenship and sent back to whatever country the person came from. If the person was born in the U.S.A, he / she should be put in a federal prison for life.
This is the U.S.A and damn the people that damn this great country.
This speech is complete bull. No one can sit under a pastor that long and not know what a racist he is. I find it laughable that Hillary says that wouldn’t be my pastor. Does she know what the inside of a church looks like.