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Like Clinton, Obama Attended "Shadowy" Group's Prayer Meetings
April 04, 2008 11:21 AM
Stories on the "stealth" ministry of Douglas Coe have been cropping up recently on blogs and online publications, linking him unfavorably to Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.
Comparing Coe to Obama's inflammatory pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barbara Ehrenreich wrote at HuffingtonPost.com, "When it comes to unsavory religious affiliations, she's a lot more vulnerable than Obama."
But the story may not be so simple. Indeed, as Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign confirmed yesterday, he has also attended Coe's prayer meetings.
Coe’s group, "the Fellowship," reportedly shuns publicity while focusing on ministering to those in power in the United States and around the world. In Washington, D.C., Coe sponsors a weekly Senate prayer breakfast and an annual National Prayer Breakfast regularly attended by U.S. presidents.
Coe’s group has been called "shadowy," and Coe has made some unusual comments which have raised more than a few eyebrows. In recorded presentations, he has seemed to praise Hitler and other totalitarian leaders for brutally enforcing their followers’ allegiance to doctrine over allegiance to family, and suggesting that was a model for teaching children about Jesus.
"[T]here is something deeply strange about the group," wrote the Atlantic magazine's Joshua Green, who has reported extensively on Coe's Fellowship and Hillary Clinton.
Ehrenreich and others have noted that Hillary has been a regular attendee at his weekly prayer meetings, and spoke warmly of Coe in her autobiography, "Living History."
But if Clinton has a Coe problem, then it seems Obama would also: a quick call to the Obama campaign elicited a confirmation that the junior senator from Illinois had also attended "a couple" of Coe’s meetings. And, like Clinton reportedly has, Obama spoke at one of the meetings about his faith, spokesman Bill Burton confirmed.
April 4, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (62)
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So in addition to attending TUCC for 20 years Obama has also attended other prayer groups. I guess he didn't hear anything there or read the program notes at that meeting either. Obama was just doing self promotion with ear plugs and rose colored glasses on.
Posted by: | Apr 4, 2008 11:40:49 AM
Just proves that the difference between Clinton and Obama can be written on the tip of a needle.
Vote Nader for real change!
Posted by: Aston | Apr 4, 2008 11:47:47 AM
Seems to me that there is a big difference between regularly attending and attending a few. Read the mother jones article on this issue. It is startling that the mainstream media could endlessly dissect Rev. Wright and totally ignore this until now (when it is being used as a swipe against Obama). Seriously, read the well-researched article over at Mother Jones
Posted by: jess | Apr 4, 2008 11:47:58 AM
If Obama people try to run with this, they are going to look foolish. No one should give much validity to anything posted on the Huffington website. It's usually a bunch of pro-Obama people making statements that are often sexist, hateful, and mean spirited. So much for hope and unity. It would be disproportionate to equate attending these prayer sessions, and Obama's association with his long-time mentor Wright and Wright's sermons that are filled with hate and racism. Besides, how can you point to Hillary, when Obama has attended them too.
Posted by: beachnan | Apr 4, 2008 11:54:29 AM
That is about as similar as President Clinton shaking hands with rev. Wright...c'mon...a couple of meetings compared to continuous attending...
I think what that article is about is that Clinton doesn't have much to stand on in criticizing Obama for not leaving a church... because of a pastor.
How about not leaving a church because of...the church and what it was founded on.
Posted by: dl | Apr 4, 2008 11:55:01 AM
So, why do we care what people listen too or where they go to church at again?
Posted by: Joe | Apr 4, 2008 12:08:24 PM
Oh please. This story about the prayer group that Senator's such as Clinton and Obama have attended has been out in the public for a long time with no sinister connotations until the far left gets hold of it in an attempt to clean up the Wright mess. Are you sure McCain hasn't been there either? This crap is just out and out dirty politics that is continuing to come from the far left of the Democratic party and they are in good part going to be the reason McCain will win this Fall. The only thing worse than the far right is the far left.
Posted by: alpaig | Apr 4, 2008 12:09:06 PM
Ok here we go...This was Hillary's group that she associated with regularly, Obama only frequented the group from time to time. This should be taken in the same context of Pastor Wright going to the White house to pray for Bill during the Monica Lewinsky mess. No one said Bill supported Pastor Wright, so no one can say Obama supported "The Family".
Posted by: Barbb | Apr 4, 2008 12:31:22 PM
I'm so sick of HIllary. She is so phoney. Everytime she shows her ulgy side which is almost all the time, she ends up on shows like Letterman just to try to get people interested in her again. Do we really want a president like her with millions of mood sways. Its not that we aren't ready for a woman its this woman.Hillary we are hip to you now. Obama hasn't engage in dirty tactics and this all you have done since the race begin. Its time for the Superdelegates to moves towards Obama and end this race.
Posted by: betty | Apr 4, 2008 1:01:39 PM
So sick of Hillary,so sick of her games going letterman trying to fool the American people. Well superdelegates its time you make a choice. Its time for Hillary to get out of the race. Unless she plans on taking the race from Obama you guys plan on giving it to her because if thats the case than she will not get my black vote
Posted by: betty | Apr 4, 2008 1:05:45 PM
Guess the pro Obama folks were trying to make a correlation between Hillary attending a prayer meeting and Obama sitting in a racist church for twenty years. They should have checked with Obama to see if his hands were clean before dragging this out. I am sure his being there now makes it not such a big deal.
Posted by: Firefighter | Apr 4, 2008 1:09:48 PM
Hello, it's a "Prayer Breakfast"...the better question would be which senator or congress person hasn't "attended" at least one...recall "National Prayer Breakfast"? So the reason this has really come up is that Hillary NOT ONLY attends the "Prayer Breakfast" she is a "member and supporter" of this shaddy...not shadowy" group. A little different, isn't it?
Posted by: Prayer Breakfast | Apr 4, 2008 1:18:58 PM
"Shadowy" try Bill association with the Boehemian Grove, or Hilliary's with the Bilderburg group. And just for fun check out their ties to the CFR, and what their plans for America really are. Shadowy indeed.
Posted by: xyz | Apr 4, 2008 1:19:30 PM
There's a big difference between attending a couple of meetings and being a follower of the guy. Typical of ABC (media wing of the Clinton campaign) to try to run damage control on a VERY embarrassing story for Hillary Diane Rodham-Clinton.
Posted by: TheDifference | Apr 4, 2008 1:23:20 PM
Senate prayer breakfast? Attended by U.S. Presidents? Then why is this a veiled attempt to slur Clinton and pour cold water on the Wright controversy involving Obama?
Posted by: druggstohr | Apr 4, 2008 1:26:03 PM
makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about the democrat candidates.
then again, when you're party nominee is to be determined by uber-, oh, excuse me, super-delegates, it's not all that suprising.
who's the chairman of the party now, friedrich nietchze?
i don't think the party can make itself look more absurd.
Posted by: davidfrat4 | Apr 4, 2008 1:27:32 PM
Politicians are cult leaders. The Church of Hillary or the Church of Obama are rooted in evil.
Posted by: Vic Ferrari | Apr 4, 2008 1:30:21 PM
Why have we not heard about these "shadowy" groups that alledgedly praise Hitler until a black man and a woman chose to run for president on the Dem ticket? Where were these groups when GWB, GHWB, Nixon, Reagan, etc., ran for president? Or did the dems just invent them now? What a farce - what else will they think of to discredit Clinton and Obama? Pretty soon they will have them both dancing with Sadaam Hussein.
Posted by: Ron | Apr 4, 2008 1:30:45 PM
This is not even CLOSE to Rev Wright. Nice try, it won't stick.
Posted by: An Opinion | Apr 4, 2008 1:31:27 PM
Be afraid...be VERY afraid!!!
Posted by: dano | Apr 4, 2008 1:38:48 PM
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