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Wright Assails Media, Cheney, Obama at National Press Club
April 28, 2008 10:46 AM
"This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," said Rev. Jeremiah Wright this morning at the National Press Club, explaining why he was emerging before a national audience, regardless of what harm it might do to the candidacy of one of his parishioners, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois. "This is an attack on the black church."
With that justification -- however sincere or self-serving -- in mind, Wright continued his publicity blitz, arguing that he's compelled to speak out because he does not operate in the world of politics.
"On November 5 and on January 21, I will still be a pastor. In our community we got a thing called 'Playing the dozens,'" he said, referring to the African-American tradition of trading clever insults in a competition. "If you think I'm gonna let you talk about my momma and her religious tradition, and my Daddy and his religious tradition,…you got another think coming."
Watch a portion of Wright's speech HERE.
Obama's controversial former pastor was defiant as he spoke to a room packed with non-journalistic supporters, defending himself, dismissing Obama's criticism of him as mere political expedience, and jokingly offering himself as a vice presidential prospect. He clearly was not doing Obama any favors, not only by reappearing before a ravenous media thus distracting from Obama's attempt to relate better to white working class voters in Indiana and North Carolina, but by implying Obama's condemnation of some of his sermons was not sincere.
"Politicians say what they say and do what they do because of electability," Wright said, arguing that Obama had not seen the sermons played in the media that Obama has called "offensive." "He had to distance himself because he's a politician...Whether he gets elected or not, I'm still going to have to be answerable to God."
Wright -- throughout his speech and a Q&A period -- argued that many of his critics had not heard his whole sermons and that the media had twisted his words.
But he didn't distance himself from any of the sentiments underlying the clips shown on television. Indeed, the former pastor embraced the most controversial items he has said.
On his contention that the U.S. government had created AIDS as a method of committing genocide against African-Americans, Wright referred to a hotly-disputed 1996 book "Emerging Viruses: AIDS And Ebola : Nature, Accident or Intentional?" by Leonard G Horowitz, which contends that AIDS and the Ebola viruses evolved during cancer experiments on monkeys.
He also referenced "Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present" by Harriet Washington, and said based on the Tuskegee experiment -- in which the U.S. Public Health Service conducted a 40-year study on 400 poor black men in Alabama with syphilis whom they did not properly treat -- "I believe our government is capable of anything."
"Have you heard the whole sermon?" he asked a questioner about his infamous post-9/11 sermon in which he seemed to blame the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania as blowback from U.S. foreign policy, saying "America's chickens are coming home to roost."
Wright said he was quoting a previous U.S. Ambassador to Iraq -- in a quote that none of his supporters has been able to find -- and relaying Biblical proverbs, "whatever you sow, that is what you shall reap," and "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
"You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back on you," Wright said. "Those are Biblical principles, not Jeremiah Wright 'bombastic' principles."
Asked about those who wondered about his love of the U.S. in light of his "God d--- America" comments during a sermon, Wright said "those citizens who say that have never heard my sermons, nor do they know me...I served six years in the military, does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"
He underlined that whatever he has said about America was "about policy, not the American people."
Wright was also asked about his relationship with Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan, whom Wright described as merely haven once said that Zionism -- not Judaism -- was a poisonous weed. (Farrakhan has far more than that one comment in his collection of anti-Semitic statements.
Farrakhan, Wright said, is "one of the most important voices in the 20th and 21st century," noting the Million Man March. "When Louis Farrakhan speaks, it's like when E.F. Hutton speaks...Black America listens."
The media asking him to condemn Farrakhan reminded him of one time when Ted Koppel asked Nelson Mandela about past statements he'd made in praise of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's "love for human rights and liberty," Wright said.
"Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy," Wright said, since Farrakhan had not enslaved Africans and brought them in chains to the U.S.
Wright argued that his fiery nature was appropriate since the leaders of the U.S. have never apologized for slavery or racism.
- jpt
April 28, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (340)
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To cindy in nc
I too am from nc, and what has mike easley done for nc, he is a part of the status quo as well and can't run anymore. What makes you think that hillary is going to care anything about you, especially if she does not win in nc. She will not even acknowledge nc if she loses it, like she has for all the other states that she has lost. People need to start thinking for themselves and not let the media speak for them. I'm glad you are finally proud of the nc democratic party. What where you before now, proud of the republican party?
Posted by: Dee | Apr 29, 2008 1:06:16 AM
Pastor Wright reminds me very much of Louis F. They both address the Black community's low self esteem by preaching hate of others. If I could do one thing for the black community, it would be rid them of their low esteem and belief, deep inside, that they are inferior.
Posted by: jeremiah wright | Apr 28, 2008 11:58:36 PM
I was appalled by the speech hosted today by the National Press Club. The moderator,Donna Leinwand, did a masterful job of making clear to all who watched the full speech and answers to questions by Rev. Wright how disrespectful, even hateful, ignorant and irrelevant the members of our press corp are today. They are the only ones who care about the "gotcha" questions they asked. Except for some of the frustrated looks Ms. Leinwand gave, I'm not sure they realized they roasted themselves.
Posted by: bruce | Apr 28, 2008 11:30:32 PM
Obama said after he heard the bombastic sermon of Rev. Wright, he talked to Rev. Wright, and Rev. Wright said to Obama "sorry for what happened," but today it seems Rev. Wright doesn't feel sorry at all to him.
So who's lyng now!
Posted by: Abdullah | Apr 28, 2008 10:54:31 PM
Wow Russ, what an intelligent thing to add.
Posted by: erin | Apr 28, 2008 10:38:15 PM
Looks like Obama's "chicken's are coming home to roost!"
Posted by: russ | Apr 28, 2008 10:34:39 PM
Geo. Bush was given the presidency
by the supreme court.
we need to try and keep this election about the issues that face the people of the us. affordable healthcare,affordable college,economy back on track.
sen. clinton is the only thing in town right now talking about helping the people.
if you hate sen. clinton
just hold your nose and vote for her.
your wallet will thank you later.
Posted by: middleof the road | Apr 28, 2008 10:31:32 PM
I believe that the republican party will come out in droves if hillary is the nominee.
Bill Clinton is the reason we got George Bush, and he disgraced the white house. Its funny how most people don't look at it this way, but we vote our president into office, and he has the opportunity to live in the white house, so that house is really OUR house. So who gave Bill Clinton permission to disgrace OUR house? And why are we the people willing to give him the opportunity to go BACK into the white house? I don't believe he deserves to go back, as he had his chance to make a difference and he did what was important to him, not for the people.
Republicans hate the Clintons. Hillary is unelectable. And if you believe that she is then you are looking through rose colored glasses. I don't care how many of you vote for her, there will be more voting against her. And remember she won't win the independents. They go to McCain or Obama.
Posted by: the reason | Apr 28, 2008 10:15:49 PM
Senator Obama is a train wreck, a tornado, earthquake and a hurricane all rolled up in one politician if he is elected. One simply does not know what he is or believes in. He keeps trying to change his colors in order to win.
Go, Senator Clinton.
Posted by: Mary H. | Apr 28, 2008 9:35:33 PM
I have heard a lot about the comment of this pastor wright, but what i haven't heard is a real debate about what he said:
-Are we imperialist?
-Did we trained Ossama to fight the soviet?
-Did we supported the apartheid system in South Africa for years?
-Did our nation was built with the blood of the african slaves?
-Did we for years supported and even continue to support dictatorship in some country (saudi arabia for example)because it fits our interest?
-Did we overthrowned elected government in some countries (Mohamed Mossadeq in Iran when he decided to nationalize the gas industry)to set up dictators (the Shah in the case of Iran)who will obey us?
I think we need to listen to the facts and realities we may not like. It's not because we look away that they will go away.I may not agree with some aspect of the pastor comments but we have to look at ourselves in the mirror sometimes and ask ourselves if we are really as clean as we claim.What are we doing in Iraq? By all metrics it's been shown that the iraqui people doesn't want us there? Why can't we ask the Saudis whose soons are behind the 9/11 attacks to democratize?
Posted by: Jacques breguet | Apr 28, 2008 9:10:43 PM
obama should have brought his far left side to meet his far seperatist side.
and maybe they could have avoided this.
Posted by: jgaw | Apr 28, 2008 8:52:46 PM
I think if I were obama right now I would hope someone in the media would get the alice palmer story out now.
like he did-when wrigth first broke
this is when obama went back to the tribune and said "oh yeah, it was 250k that I got from resko not 150k.
and it barely made a blip on the msm radar.
maybe the alice palmer thing will work this way.
someone should get the alice palmer story out now.
because it the dem bigwigs let this go on and he become the nominee
the alice palmer thing is going to be part of what the rep. will bring out on him.
Posted by: jgaw | Apr 28, 2008 8:51:30 PM
I heard this line in a movie once: "Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean someone's not out to get ya!" Like the PI idea though....
Posted by: dwc | Apr 28, 2008 8:46:01 PM
Jayhawk:
I prefer the Democratic tax and spend over the Republican borrow and spend.
Posted by: AkaDad | Apr 28, 2008 8:44:06 PM
He hit the media hard and the media didn't like it. So now the media will of course come after him with vengeance. They asked questions and were totally unprepared. I loved when asked did you hear the whole sermon, he had to ask it twice to get a response, and the answer? NO.
You say that Rev Wright might be self serving. Well I can tell you that the media IS self serving. The media has been on it's high horse for almost 40 years now.
The media is a Corporation, its interest are above the news, and the service it pretends to deliver. It is about profits, not service. It will inflame in order to draw attention to it's posts to draw revenue.
Posted by: Thinking | Apr 28, 2008 8:40:56 PM
Wright said he told Obama, "if he’s elected November 5, “I’m coming after you.” According to Obama, they only talk God and religion. Doesn't this sort of refute that statement. Anyone who believes that is all they talk about is very naive. Just because Obama says something doesn't make it true, he tells lies just like every other politician when it is to his advantage. I bet Obama and Wright have cooked up this little press campaign to make it appear Obama has distanced himself, but I am not falling for it. They probably planned it over dinner last week when Sen. Obama was back in Chicago!
Posted by: dwc | Apr 28, 2008 8:39:31 PM
addendum:
"Why do you suppose Wright went off the reservation?" (If he really IS off the rez, and not just playing out some Machiavellian sketch developed by A-rod, Kerry, or whomever -- possibly a red herring to distract the press from Ayers, money-laundering, and all that.)
Posted by: Belle Starr | Apr 28, 2008 8:38:51 PM
and I must say,
being an aa 53 year old female, I have been in the southern baptist church all my life. and if any of our preachers had ever preached what it seems wright is preaching my 94year old grandmother
would have looked over her glasses and said "rev. must have lost his mind"
and in wrights case she maybe right
obama has shown poor judgement-he should have left that church a long time ago.
not all black churches preach this stuff. most teach about love,peace, and brotherhood-and treating each person as they would want to be treated.
obama the uniter and rev. wright have set race relations back.
Posted by: jgaw | Apr 28, 2008 8:38:39 PM
AkaDad:
According to Barack Obama's spokesperson, Obama is keeping his options open with regard to Iraq (counter to his previous statement of being out of Iraq in about a year). Obama is now saying that the United States will probably have to remain in Iraq for quite some time. Only the amount of troop deployment is debatable. So, whether a voter chooses the Democrat or the Republican, American military forces will remain in Iraq to stabilize that part of the world, just as they are in Germany, Japan, Korea, and a host of other places.
Refer to my previous for Obama economic policies. Tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend...
Posted by: Jayhawk | Apr 28, 2008 8:36:23 PM
"OBAMA HAD IT BOTH WAYS FOR A YEAR --- UNTIL NOW!"
Why do you suppose Wright went off the reservation? The surfacing of Alice Palmer, maybe?
Posted by: Belle Starr | Apr 28, 2008 8:35:51 PM
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