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Gingrich: Wright May Be Deliberately Trying to Hurt Obama

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April 29, 2008 7:58 AM

ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: In a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., suggested that controversial pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright is angry with parishioner Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and may be deliberately trying to hurt his presidential bid.

Saying that Wright "went out of his way to weaken Obama" during Monday's address at the National Press Club, Gingrich told Barbara Walters "I think Reverend Wright has a greater interest in his self-importance."

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE!

Gingrich described Obama former pastor as "hard-line anti-American", and said "if Rev. Wright continues to talk that the burden that Sen. Obama carries becomes bigger and bigger. "

Gingrich described Obama's challenges as "two-fold", citing "left-wing relationships" calling the Illinois senator "disingenuous" about them.

Gingrich also referenced complications in the path to the Democratic nomination via Michigan and Florida. (Both states were stripped of convention delegates for holding their primaries too early in the 2008 process.)

"I don't see how they're going to have a convention and not have the fourth biggest state in the country represented," Gingrich told Walters.

Gingrich said "at the rate things are going" come November the winner might "not necessarily" be a Democrat.

"McCain could be the one Republican who could win the election this year," Gingrich said in a live interview with Barbara Walters.

Gingrich pushed back on notions of his own re-entry into the presidential candidate pool,

"That's an alternative history we'll have to come back and talk about some day," Gingrich said.

Gingrich appeared on Good Morning America to promote his new book "Days of Infamy", the former House Speaker's second historical novel about Pearl Harbor.  Gingrich said he wrote the book to "draw more Americans into the Pacific" for a new look at the region and learn "the very tough lessons of history" embedded there.

April 29, 2008 in Bush, George W., Hunter, Duncan, Kucinich, Dennis, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (521)

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Gingrich LIED when he said that Hillary's popular vote over Barack Obama is substantial.

Gingrich is infact a LIAR.

Posted by: Stacey | Apr 29, 2008 9:12:26 AM

To GVegas: Don't put this one on Hillary. Obama belonged to that church for 20 years, named his book after Wright's sermon "The Audacity of Hope", said nothing about the anti-semitic, Hamas supporting entries in the church bulletins and newsletters while he was a sitting United States Senator, said nothing about his "white man's greed" sermons while running for president on the politics of unity and bringing all people together. Obama brought this on himself. Why do Obamanations always try to blame Obama's faults on Hillary?

GO HILLARY 08!

Posted by: calli | Apr 29, 2008 9:13:27 AM

Obama is a good candidate. I think Wright is trying to hurt him. Hillary Clinton could be involved too. She had dealings with him also. I stand by him anyway. I still like the change he will make for our country. He is loyal and he will get rid of the phony politics and power Clinton represents. Clinton cannot handle her marriage or her campaign funds. How does she expect to run the country? What is her experience in? I am a white woman in my late 30's and I could not vote for her. If she is nominated, I place my vote for MC Cain

Posted by: Barb | Apr 29, 2008 9:15:32 AM

I think Rev. Wright's recent interview with Bill Moyer and different high-profiled speeches just want to show what he really is, rather than he intentionally want to hurt Obama who has been Wright's spiritual follower for two decades. Rev. Wright's view seems to represent the very left of the spectrum that almost everything the government did on foreign policy is wrong.

Posted by: austin | Apr 29, 2008 9:16:00 AM

Maybe Reverend Wright knows deep inside that Barack Obama has no substance to him and can't see an incompetent like him become President after 8 years of Dubya Bush. Wright, after all, said he's accountable to God! I dont know, but that's what he said! Rev Wright knows him better than anyone else - so maybe he's on to something?

Posted by: Jacob Ezekial | Apr 29, 2008 9:16:01 AM

Obama is for empire. Obama is for Israel. Obama is for corporate power. Rev. Wright is right. Obama is wrong. Obama jumped the shark when he dissed Rev. Wright.

Posted by: Homer | Apr 29, 2008 9:16:04 AM

Come on guys, this is nothing but a damage control game plan from these two peas in one pot. (1) to control damage by creating diversion. (2) to manipulate the others'weak mind and soul by using reversed psychology to create it is me not him type of game plan. Got you, brothers !

Posted by: mtr2311 | Apr 29, 2008 9:16:04 AM

Gingrich, Wrote a book and he is promoting it by bashing Obama in a sly way to try and help McBush short coming. What a creep, who surface now and then.

McCain best days are behind him.


Obama all the way.

Posted by: Lookup | Apr 29, 2008 9:16:17 AM

A , Billy and Hilly make a better president ????WHO is runnig here,but you got it right BILLY wants back in so bad it hurts....

Posted by: h | Apr 29, 2008 9:17:25 AM

It is now evident that Wright is part of the vast right wing conspiracy....What was wrong with Harold Ford Jr. again? Why does the DNC always go in the WRONG direction? Next time, do not pick as your frontrunner a politician from Chicago....just a suggestion.

Posted by: rs | Apr 29, 2008 9:17:47 AM

Hey Aston, thanks for the morning laugh!!!!!!!!!!!! Not voting for Obama.

"Most of this bickering is simply BS.

Obama will, in fact win the nomination and Clinton supports will tag along as ardent Obama fans. Most put the party over and above Clinton's moderation.

After the 'kiss and make up', the Clinton supporters will be convinced that their differences with Obama were simply cosmetic. All will be forgiven!"

Posted by: tony | Apr 29, 2008 9:18:04 AM

I think Rev Wright is so out of touch that he doesn't realized the problems he is creating for Obama.

Posted by: Darla | Apr 29, 2008 9:18:15 AM

Rev Wright is the BEST thing that has happened to the voters
NOW they have an EXCUSE NOT to vote for Obama
other than - he is black.

Posted by: Ken Jarvis | Apr 29, 2008 9:18:51 AM

It was too good to be true. I'm switching my vote Senator Clinton; Obama has some issues to work out with his Pastor.

Posted by: Bill H | Apr 29, 2008 9:18:55 AM

BO becomes more transparent every day
HE has no one but himself to blame fro all of his problems
The people he has chosen to align himself with were entirely his decisions
Boneheaded?
So should he be elected-does he intend to hide Wright in the basement of the whitehouse?
Enough of the BO crap- he is the one who has played on race from the beginning
He and his obnoxious wife had the whole thing planned out
They never thought people were smart enough to figure it out
The Obamas have no one but them selves to blame for their problems at this point
I know they will blame the Clintons and others but really they have done it to them selves

Posted by: Betty | Apr 29, 2008 9:19:24 AM

Why isn't the focus on Obama , who has yet to answer all of the hard questions as have been aasked of Sen. Clinton. If she is responsible for Pres. Clinton (news flash he isn't running for Pres.) then Sen. Obama should be responsible for Rev. Wright.?????? Oh, no we're suppose to give him a free pass....

Posted by: Ken Smith | Apr 29, 2008 9:19:44 AM

I don't think that Wright is trying to hurt Obama. I feel that he is simply trying to defend himself. At any rate, it still seems to be hurting Obama and thank God for that. Obama also has hurt himself by simply being in that church, thinking like his pastor, his remarks regarding "clinging to guns and religion", his inability (and unwillingness) to debate Senator Clinton, his anti-american wife, his LACK OF EXPERIENCE, his inability to appeal to the real base (not just new voters, young voters, black voters) and the list goes on and on. Iowa made a mistake and now the rest of the country is taking a second look.

Posted by: ibfay | Apr 29, 2008 9:19:45 AM

Why isn't the focus on Obama , who has yet to answer all of the hard questions as have been aasked of Sen. Clinton. If she is responsible for Pres. Clinton (news flash he isn't running for Pres.) then Sen. Obama should be responsible for Rev. Wright.?????? Oh, no we're suppose to give him a free pass....

Posted by: Ken Smith | Apr 29, 2008 9:19:52 AM

For those thinking that people are going to distinguish Obama from the reverend, they are very mistaken.
Obama has said over and over, the Rev is the one that introduced him to Christ. Where did Obama go from there? Nowhere. He remained under the tutelage of Wright and no one else for 20 years. He knows no different. All he has learned he has learned from Wright. You know, the guy he refers to as an uncle, the same one that he "cannot disown any more then he could disown the black community." Obama publicly solidified his relationship with Wright a long time ago. There is no denying him now.

Posted by: JH | Apr 29, 2008 9:19:54 AM

Both of them are one in the same. Dr. Jekyll (Obama) and Mr. Hyde (Rev. Wright). Unfortunately, the 2008 version of Nat Turner rebellion will suffer the same fate especially with language of entitlement such as "this is MY White House" and people in Rural PA are bitter and "cling to guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiment" got his motivation from a person who "God Damns America" and states "that Hillary ain't never been called the n-word" as if that is a qualification to be President of the U. S.

As a criminal lawyer, you never put a Defendant on a witness stand because of the possibility of self-incrimination. Likewise, a politician does not run for President of the U. S. when he will ultimately expose and damage his church and leader's ability to exercise the free expression of religion in Private and w/o fear of persecution.

Obama and Rev. Wright will suffer the same fate and I hope it is not the result of the Nat Turner rebellion.

Posted by: Knowledgeforreal | Apr 29, 2008 9:20:46 AM

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