Barack Obama has written a well-wrought and definitive statement on the Wright controversy for the Huffington Post. He condemns his former pastor and goes so far as to include the following:
The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation.
I take Obama at his word.
Of course others are less patient.
UPDATE: Noam Scheiber at The New Republic had this to say:
Whether or not this explanation does the trick depends on two things, I guess: 1.) Most obviously, whether Obama has really never heard Wright preach this kind of stuff. If Obama is somehow placed at a sermon in which Wright went on one of his rants, it’s going to be a disaster. (Then again, it would have been a disaster without or without his HuffPo statement.) 2.) How plausible it is that Obama wouldn’t have known about Wright’s, er, greatest hits. Obama strongly implies he didn’t know his pastor had a habit of giving nutty sermons up until the outset of his presidential campaign. Is that believable? Is there any way to disprove it? If the answers are “yes” and “no” respectively, then he’ll weather this. If not, it could get uncomfortable.
It may be that Obama will regret ever opening his mouth. “Never complain, never explain,” as they old saying goes. Of course, in this case, it wouldn’t have been easy.
Now… what are they thinking over at Casa Clinton?
Well, Roger, you’re more forgiving than I. I find it utterly unconvincing that in his more than 20 year association with Rev. Wright that BHO has “not personally heard” anything resembling the statements in question. It’s an easy, weasel way out, and for a candidate who professes a move to the “politics of change,” it’s sure looking a lot more like “politics as usual.” Even Clinton-style. The guy creeps me out.
I’d have to second stumbley’s view, and offer essentially a concurrence from Rich Lowry at National Review:
This Is So Clintonian [Rich Lowry]
Read this key sentence from ObamaÔøΩs statement closely: ÔøΩThe statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation.ÔøΩ What I think heÔøΩs saying here is that he didnÔøΩt hear these particular statements because he didnÔøΩt happen to be in attendance. HeÔøΩs not saying that he never heard Wright say these kind of things, although he wants to leave that impression. But of course, he didÔøΩthe post-9/11 ÔøΩchickens coming home to roostÔøΩ statement, of course, was made more than six years ago! Obama couldnÔøΩt have attended the church and not known where Wright was coming from (more about this is a minute).
[link to the Corner in post above. Please do not use long URLs in the comments. Tiny URLs only .-ed]
Well, of course, Mssrs. stumbley and Lilly… But I am a gentleman. I take a man at his word. We shall see what evolves, shan’t we?
You may take him at his word but what should one conclude from this statement? That Obama’s church attendance was intermittent, that he is not familiar with the more vociferous beliefs of his pastor, that no one in the congregation ever related to him what the pastor said, especially when talking about Sept 11 or about Obama and Senator Clinton as candidates? Is Obama willfully ignorant of his pastor’s views and opinions, or is it he merely belongs to that church for appearance sake? This is a Teflon statement.
But I am a gentleman.
And a sly one at that
Why wrestle in the mud when others will be happy to do it for you? I, too, am a gentleman. And as the howling and slop engulfs the contestants I will sit quietly in my smoking jacket and offer civilized commentary.
Nice batch of trolls you imported over on the other thread Roger; I’d really enjoy it if Coisty could meet DWM or DUI or whatever combination of 3 letters….
Anyway, one thing that’s bothered me about Barry has been why would a guy with all his charisma be running for the highest office in the land before he’s actually done anything. He’s been in the US Senate less than Muffer and has distinguished himself by doing absolutely nothing that sets him apart from the rest of the crew in that large congregation of lethargy. In the next four to eight years it shouldn’t be any problem for somebody of his prodigious charm to assemble a supercharged staff that could prepare something of substance for him to use as a compelling reason for voters to think that he would be an ideal choice to lead the nation.
The only reason I can come up with is that his closets are overly stuffed with dark secrets that will see the light of day at a time when the MSM’s powers have been significantly diminished and that damage control will be absolutely impossible. Obviously the MSM is totally in the tank for him; other than the WSJ you can only find out about this lunatic Wright through PJM and other places on the innerwebz. Who knows what howlers Michelle will let loose over time. Nope, this is his window of opportunity and, until some sane poster convinces me otherwise, that’s what I’m sticking with.
I dunno, but it seems to me that a man of Barack Obama’s supposed superior judgment would have known that his pastor was a raving loon.
But then I am not a lady.
And what took him so long to come out with this statement? I mean if that phone rang at 3am would Obama wait until noon the next day to answer?
Wait a second; he posted that at HuffPo??? To hell with him, those nits make Wright sound sane.
This crackpot theory about the US government developing the HIV virus in a laboratory with the expressed purpose of infecting the Black community has been a staple of Black paranoia for many years.
The congregants were cheering on Pastor Wright like he was Eli Manning driving his team down the field in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.
Sorry Roger, but one would have to engage in the willful suspension of disbelief to think that Obama is completely ignorant of the mindset of his own church.
Member Obama 2006 imcometax claimed giving his church $22,500.
I don’t about you but if I had been a poor black man (as Obamas minister claims) I would know very closely to whom I was donating that kind of dough.
It will be very, very interesting to find out how much he gave last year.
Money talks louder than words.
“Sorry Roger, but one would have to engage in the willful suspension of disbelief to think that Obama is completely ignorant of the mindset of his own church.”
Well, so would I, Monsieur Fop. But you of all people should respect a gentlemen… And perhaps they would surprise you. After all, some people are at the helm of nascent news organization. We like to do… research.
If Obama fails this test, how will he fare with Chavez and Mamud?
A lie. Of course Obama knew and APPROVED of these statements. Of course Obama believes “God Damn America” and KKK of A and America created AIDs and all the rest.
Obama refuses to wear the flag. Refuses to act even borderline respectful during the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance. Has said the Flag stands for hate and oppression. Hangs out with Weathermen terrorists. Loves Ahmadinejad and Chavez and Castro. Wants to surrender to AQ.
This is nothing new … and Hillary was right. The man (Obama) is an Angry Black Nationalist who HATES WHITEY. That’s the man. Read his book — it’s filled with stuff like that.
He’s a disaster and would destroy this country as President. You might as well vote for Sharpton or Farrakhan. My hope is he takes the Democratic Party down with him … so Dems can reform and revamp and challenge the Republicans for the middle.
But let’s not kid ourselves. This corrupt, sleazy, Chicago Angry Black Nationalist knew every bit of hatred dripping out of Wright’s mouth and lapped it up. For 20 years.
Political adage: when your opponent bleeds never offer a band aid.
The Clinton Casa silence is deafening.
=But I am a gentleman. I take a man at his word.=
I, too, consider myself a gentleman, and I am inclined to take a man at his word.
But rarely from a politician, and certainly not during a campaign.
Put another way: “Trust, but verify,” as one very wise gentleman said.
It’s not impossible to find out where (at least what city) Obama has been at any given sunday sinse he became senator.
You think the Clintons are silent? whatabout the MSM?
Its a little odd to see a lot of the same right wing bloggers who, 2 months ago, declared that religion and having to defend religious views that seemed odd, outrageous or even anti-American were unfair was off the table, as far as concerned Mitt Romney and Mormonism.
Seems like now that its Obama under the microscope, they are completely turned around on the matter.
Roger,
I certainly respect you for your tolerant and gentlemanly attitude.
Even though I’m a neo-con, of sorts, I’m still registered as a Democrat, and I voted for Obama in the California primary. I really had hope that this guy was going to transcend identity politics.
But I confess it is very hard for me to accept this apology as offered so far. It just strains credulity that this intelligent man somehow missed what his pastor was saying. I found the video of Wright’s ranting startling, –even terrifying. How over the course of 23 years of association did Obama fail to see this?
Jamie Irons
When this controversy first broke I joked and said that he should have used the Homer Simpson defense that he always slept though all of Reverend Wright’s sermons. That would be much more believable that he just happened to not be there when the good Reverend Wright gave one of his infamous anti-American diatribes. The only way that could be true would be if Obama never attended church services.
However, Roger all joking aside we have the tapes! How in the world could Obama credibly claim that he didn’t know what Reverend Wright was saying when he sells the tapes at the church. The tapes are the smoking gun! How could anyone believe that Obama never heard one of those tapes? It more likely that Obama has (well not anymore) the complete collection of the Revevend’s greatest hits at his home. Also, Reverend Wright is Obama’s mentor. Could anyone be na√Øve enough to believe that the Reverend only made those anti-American statements during his sermons and the rest of the time he never mentioned his views to Obama?
I really had hope that this guy was going to transcend identity politics.
Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s a pea under one of those cups.
docweasel, I’d submit there’s a significant difference between wearing odd underwear and aspiring to ascend to being a deity of a universe of one’s own, and believing that the US in historical times invented HIV to kill the black people.
Good Lord. NOBODY here has caught the big ticket item. I’m shocked, saddened and almost surprised. Clearly Obama has SLEPT through Twenty Years of Sermons. There, the Secret’s out. I hope you are happy with yourself. They shame of it all will no doubt energize Hillary’s base.
Mea Culpa to Richard Nieporent, however, in my defense, Mssr. Nieporent saw the Sleep Option as a joke. HA! In fact, the ability to turn this into a joke kept Bill out of significant hot water. (The line: “You better put some ice on that.” was a joke….wasn’t it?)
Your gentlemanly, “I take him at his word” attitude stems from the fact that you fell for Barack Hussein (there, I said it) long ago, Roger, and, like so many others, are loathe to let go. He is the Magic Negro to you, though in fact and deed he is a Chicago pol who has done nothing, nada, zip for his region or the country. He is a superb bullsh**ter. The circumstantial evidence against Obama is overwhelming.
Noam Scheiber of The New Republic is either prescient or he knows something. I just saw an interview on Fox with the guy from NewsMax, which was one of the sources that broke the story about the Wright tapes. He says that on Monday he will have evidence that Obama was in attendance at some of Wright’s anti-Whitey/anti-America homilies. If this is true, dare I infer that therin lies one of the influencing factors behind Obama’s wife’s controversial and pschologically-rich disclosure/preachings, especially the ones regarding her nascent pride in America, which, by the way, only presented in her mind when she believed that Obama’s candidacy was viable? Can’t you just see Freud sticking his head up from the ground and saying, “Dude, that’s monkey shit [channeling Smokey and the Bandit] compared to what is lurking in inside that woman’s mind.” [You just can't ignore the wives anymore...shit, look at Hillary!]
re: Charles
You’re mentioning the humorous and risible aspects of Mormonism that have popular currency. There are much more despicable aspects codified in the Book of Mormon. I direct you to these:
this:
Ask Romney about Mormonism’s intolerance
and this:
Mitt the MormonWhy Romney needs to talk about his faith.
Mitt Romney and The Mormon Question
Intolerance in the Book of Mormon
Further, do candidates have to be responsible for every aspect of their religion, and disavow or condemn the unpopular parts? This was exactly the argument I heard from Romney supporters, that candidates should NOT have to do this. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, they certainly are taking apart every statement by Obama’s pastor in detail. Obama merely sat in the pew. Romney is a 3rd generation elder of a cult that promulgates th e hateful theology you will find elucidated in the links above.
I can only conclude its partisan hypocrisy, not true moral outrage at anything Obama said.
I except Roger Simon from any of these remarks. I never noted him defending Romney, and he sent a nice note explaining his stand. However, it is still odd how bloggers who never took Romney apart for despicable tenets of his religion, of which he is a LEADER and dynastic family elder, are now taking apart Obama, who was merely in the congregation.
“Well, so would I, Monsieur Fop. But you of all people should respect a gentlemen… And perhaps they would surprise you.”
Perhaps, but if it is true he had no clue about this aspect of a man who has had such a profound impact on his life, what does that say about his judgment and, therefore, his fitness to be president? We’re not talking about a casual, Sunday morning relationship here. It seems to me that either way Obama loses. He’s either dishonest or ignorant to an unbelievable degree. I’ll grant him the latter. On this basis, I would NEVER vote for him (though to be honest, I never would have anyway but if McCain’s pastor supports the KKK, neither would I vote for him). I think you’re giving him too easy a pass and I really can’t figure out why. A gentleman’s pass doesn’t make sense when I think about the ramifications of his ignorance on this.
Last September, Roger wrote a piece for Pajamas Media describing how the OJ verdict changed his life. The elephant in the room that we all want to ignore, because it has terrible implications, is that the same black majority that approved the OJ verdict may also approve of Rev. Wright’s rants about AIDS, Jews, and God damming America. If the majority of black America believes all this, and is willing to excuse murder because of it, exactly how do we have a conversation on race in America?