Obama Says Pastor Was in a ‘Time Warp,’ Suggests He Would Have Left Church
Barack Obama says his controversial former pastor was stuck in a “time warp” and suggests he would have left his Chicago church had Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. not retired.
While still defending what he called the “broader aspect” of his long-time pastor, Obama said in a pre-taped interview with ABC’s “The View,” which aired Friday, that Wright’s most offensive sermons drew from an outdated view of America and its prejudices.
“What they spoke to was, I think, a brilliant man who was still caught in a time warp back in the ’60s, early ’70s and the ’50s, where he grew up, and had a sense of where America was and didn’t have a good enough sense of how it had changed,” he said.
Obama disputed what he called an overstated notion that Wright was his “spiritual adviser” or “mentor.”
Hillary Clinton earlier this week for the first time spoke out on the controversy over Wright, whose anti-American and racially charged sermons threatened Obama’s campaign. The New York senator said she would have left the church if her pastor behaved like Obama’s.
Asked what he’d do if the reverend had stayed on, Obama told “The View”: “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.”
As he did in his speech on race more than a week ago, Obama continued to defend Wright’s character. He said he spoke with him recently, and “I told him I feel badly that he has been characterized just in this one way. People haven’t seen this broader aspect of him.”
Obama reiterated that he never personally heard Wright’s most controversial sermons.
“Now keep in mind he’s preaching three times every Sunday and for 30 years, and I’m not vetting my pastor and I didn’t have a research team during the course of these 20 years go pull every sermon that he’s given and see if there’s something offensive that he said,” Obama said, adding that “I don’t purchase all the DVDs.”
In his sermons over the years, Wright has railed against the United States and accused it of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. He also has said the government invented AIDS to destroy “people of color” and has shouted “God damn America” for its treatment of minorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The comments made by Obama’s wife are a clear indication they should have left the church long ago. It seems the family has already been indoctrinated into the reverends distorted hate filled view of this country. If Obama becomes president does anyone think for one moment reverend Wright won’t be the first to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. Just the thought of that makes me sick. We need to post a sign in front of the White House, “ONLY PATRIOTS ALLOWED”.
Preposterous! He thinks we would believe that he would leave the church had Wright stayed, and it took 20 years for him to figure this out? Now we are to elect him the President of the United States so he can make some more thoughtful decisions for the country- now that is even more presposterous.
Oprah actually left the chruch unlike Barack so “American” you cannot say Oprah has the same beliefs. Sorry but you are absolutely WRONG.
Obama has clearly been misled by his spiritual adviser the dishonorable Mr. Wright if after 20 years under this man’s teaching he believes all “good, moral people are children of God and will go to heaven”. By Biblical definition Obama is no Christian and he is sadly ignorant of what the Christian faith is. 1 Corinthians 15:1-9 defines a Christian as someone who is fully convinced that the Jesus of the Bible has died for our sins exactly as recorded in the Bible, that He was buried stone-cold dead, He rose again on the third day exactly as the Bible describes, and that He was seen alive by many witnesses–His closest friends and family members who knew Jesus best, small groups, strangers, individuals, and even to a crowd of over 500 men (plus women and children) at one time, most of whom were still alive at the time the New Testament was being written, all testified of having been with the risen Christ. The Bible teaches (Ephesians 2) that in Christ there is no division between people groups and skin colors but all who have peace with God through Jesus Christ also have peace with one another. The Bible teaches that is salvation from God through no other than through this faith in Jesus (Acts 4:12). Fully believing these things, not a self-righteous, man-made moral code or good deeds, is the only faith by which the Bible teaches Christians are saved from the guilt and power of sin so as to have right standing with God, i.e. entrance into heaven. Hate-filled, self-exalting preachers and teachers like Mr. Wright and his followers give a portrayal of who Jesus is that contradict the clear teachings of the Bible.
Barrack Obama is looking more like a chameleon every time he opens his mouth. Attends a church over 20 years whose pastor regulary delivers “hate” sermons about other races and our country - this info surfaces during his campaign, and suddenly, he is offended? What about the other 20 years.
The man also lies. He tried to cover his tracks regarding his white grandmother and completely revised a new version of what he had just said a few days before from “she is afraid of some blacks she passes on the street” to “she is afraid of people (any race?) she doesn’t know”!
This is pitiful!
Fox is the only network not letting go of the Reverend Wright situation because they know if we were to get Obama as President there are way to many unknowns and we do not want a militant or closet militant in office. Why doesn’t Fox read the newsletters on TV that spew Farrakhan like hatred from Reverend Wright on a regular basis and then ask if Obama did not see these either. Thanks for hanging in on this.
You must be kidding. Senator Obama is the master of I”I would have”. “I would have voted against the war.” I would have spoken out ,voted ,talked to ,been present for,—all the while avoiding like the plague any stance for which he might be responsible. Check his voting record–mostly “present” and /or along party lines. When a stand or solo action on principle is needed . This Senator knows how to avoid accountability.
I’m sorry, but ANYTHING Obama tries to do NOW to “fix” the Rev. Wright problem is TOO LATE to be taken seriously. There are just too many anti-American and racial issues coming to light involving Obama. Those voting Democrat simply because they are Democrat need to view issues by considering what is good for America as a whole, not what is good for their wallet in the short run. The Democratic agenda (economic) is for lazy people who do not want to be responsible for their own lives. To be fair, the liberal politicians, media, uneducated in history by humanist public education, have brainwashed good American citizens into believing they are better off if they let the Government make decisions for them & take care of them. WAKE UP AMERICA, READ YOUR CONSTITUTION, BILL OF RIGHTS, AND THINK FOR YOURSELF!!!!
Flip Flopping again, no wonder kerry indorsed him…Birds of a feather flock together. What a joke. This has no meaning whats so ever…he stayed for 20 years. Im not comfortable with this and he cant go back in time.
After twenty years it is only now he thinks he would no left , come on tell the truth!!!