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in a pre-taped interview with ABC’s “The View,” which aired Friday, that Wright’s most offensive sermons drew from an outdated view of America and its prejudices.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.
For those of you who thought Obama gave a great speech on race, please tell me where you’re coming from.(Mars?) I’m not letting this go and worrying about the economy, war, or anything else. When someone offends me, they offend me. And when they dont apologize, it makes things even worse. I don’t need Obama apologizing for his friend, I want his friend(pastor) to apologize. How can Obama call this man his spiritual advisor and claim him he’s his friend? Or telling everyone that his preacher was taken out of context by the things he said. Please. People with any common sense will not vote for Obama because of the friends he keeps!
Lets hear again from his pastor and the future sermons from his churchs new pastor. I don’t think there’s no end to this. It”s Obamas religous friends that keep stirring up this story. And I bet they don”t stop. I will never put this behind me until Obama disowns his preacher(friend) and goes to a real church.
It’s amazing the difference in the responses here at Fox as opposed to CNN. I think most people over there are incredible hate mongerers against Hillary that they won’t see through Obama’s lies. The problem with Obama is that he has consistently put the blame on everyone else. I could, I should…just shows that he has no record because he does nothing.
Frankly, I’m sick of him and his wife. I’m afraid of his underlying message and I hope Fox continues to bring this to the forefront because some in Congress and all of them at CNN have their heads in the clouds.
I will tell you about Obama. Who is Obama? Noone. Media loves him, all these white people are voting for him leaving their own kind Hillary. How ridiculous is that? This guy will say anything people want to hear. My problem is how these people could be blind sided by him including media. I just read an article Sen. Leahy want Hillary out. Why he doesn’t get out? He has been in the senate for ages. Who authorises him to say that? Obama is the biggest fraud. He says his grandma is afraid of Blacks. Who wouldn’t be? Watch TV who commits crime, look at the jails who occupies them. Look who whines? I was not even born here I know great this country is. He says there is a gap between whites and Blacks it should be it’s not whites created. Whites didn’t tell them to do drugs or impregnate or father children out of wedlock so they can get welfare. It’s their choice. Don’t blame the whites or America for that. This obama is the biggest liar of all; he is a quintesential liar. Look at the Dems they think he can win election against McCain. I am Hillary fan if she doesn’t get nomination we will not vote for Obama. I want Fox News report it. These Blacks not only blames whites for their misdeeds now he is a follower of Anti-American and he wants to be leader of the free world? I think not. Wake up people ‘unmask’Obama. I am ashamed to say I am a democrat. If you vote for Obama you are looking at more taxes, more welfare, more spending for the losers I guess, losers like Kerry and Kennedy endoresed him. YOU want to put an anti-american in the white House? Obama says ‘just make me president’ I will do every thing for you. He thinks he is entitled to it because of what whites did to them. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. Media is scared to ask him a question they are bunch of ’sissies’ they think they will be labeled as ‘racist’. Did you notice any other immigrants let’s say the Russians, Indians and chinese whine? No. You know why? They know this is a great country if you don’t make it here you can’t make it anywhere in the world. Look what happened to Gore, Kerry they bad mouth Bill. Did they win? Bill is the only one who could win the white house in the last 16 years. Dems will be endangered species in the white house what they are doing now. Media never reports all Hillary supporters will vote for MCCain. At least I know who he is and he sacrified for this country.
The pastor may not be running for President, but the one who is running for President has had this pastor as a mentor for 20 years. This site is obviously biased because it will not allow me to post a comment on how I truly feel (and it’s not worded any worse than comments that have been posted).
Obama will never be the President of the Unites States Of America cause he is a liar and bigot..he still is a member of a church that is Anti American, Anti Jewish and racist..OBAMA/WRIGHT 2008
Perhaps Obama is in love with his Pastor Wright. Pastor Wright must have something on Obama because Obama has not disown Pastor Wright. If Obama wants change in America than he ought to start with Obama and disown Pastor Wright, lead by example. Obama wants to change one thing for another not changing church.
So, if this is how everyone feels. Then, let’s just make a law in the constitution and that will settle this forever more.
If you sit in a church for let’s say 10 years or more with a Pastor who says divisive things about another group of people or about America then you are not allowed to be President.
How about that? How does that sound? So, Anybody who is a member of Billy Grahams church, or John Hagee’s church, or Jerry Falwell’s church, or Pat Roberson’s church, Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s church is not allowed to run for President? Well, why stop there? How about any body who has parents that say divisive things? I mean the courts do allow kids to divorce their parents now so you can choose to not be associated with them anymore.
Done. Put it in the constitution and put me out of my misery about this guilty by association business.
Have any of you all even heard Rev. Wrights speeches in there entirety?
hello…don’t you think you should take charge and find out the truth and whole truth about the minister that damns America. he must think we are stupid to believe junk he is spewing out. if he is that dumb he shouldn’t be pres or senator. sr. citizen from illinois.
Obama’s nose is growing.