Barack Obama Holds Press Conference Over Reverend Wright
 Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

Reverend Jeremiah Wright has been the topic of the day for days and days and days now, so we've kind of avoided it (you can find it everywhere already, that kind of thing).  But since Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama held a press conference today to discuss recent comments by the Reverend - and since some of Wright's comments at this week's symposium were rather explosive - we figured we'd address it today.

Obama opened his press conference with, "I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people," Barack said today.  "That's in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That's who I am. That's what I believe. That's what this campaign has been about."

Yesterday we saw a very different vision of America. I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday. You know, I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992. I have known Reverend Wright for almost 20 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church. They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Reverend Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought either.

The comments Obama is referring to are remarks Wright made at the National Press Club this week.  Wright discussed the separation of the "black religious experience" in the 1600's and forward, mentioning that "The Black Codes prohibited the gathering of more than two black people without a white person being present to monitor the conversation."

"And I stand before you," Wright said, "To open up this two-day symposium with the hope that this most recent attack on the black church is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright; it is an attack on the black church."  (Full transcript here.)

"This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright," Wright reiterated to Washington media yesterday.  "It has nothing to do with Senator Obama.  It is an attack on the black church launched by people who know nothing about the African-American religious tradition."

Wright is retired from the church and has also been under media fire for past sermons in which he said "God damn America" and said that the government created AIDS to destroy "people of color."

Here comes my opinion:  brace yourselves.  I do not, and never have disliked Barack Obama.  Quite the contrary.  I find him charming and extremely intelligent, and I agree with many of his stances - primarily the stance that the Iraq War was a terrible blunder.

But in me, admittedly, I have the same fear that many Americans have:  I have no way of knowing whether or not we're just being told what we want to hear on the political front, with the three frontrunner candidates.  It's likely that nothing but time will reveal the answer to that.

However.  When it comes to Rev. Wright, I initially gave him the benefit of the doubt.  "It's not so bad," I said, when the first clips of Wright's various sermons over the years hit the news networks.  "A lot of what he's said is true."

But this latest speech from Wright leaves me crumbling in humiliation for Senator Obama, whites, blacks, and people of every nationality everywhere.  It's unfathomable to me that Rev. Wright actually believes there is an attack not on him, but on the black church.

What does that even mean, "the black church?"  Think about it.  African-American citizens have just as varied religious beliefs as other races do; and for someone who is claiming to bring problems to light, Wright is instead creating them, stuck hard and fast to a history of persecution and separation that everyone wants to move forward from.

America does not want to attack "the black church," and in even saying that Wright is painting a massive generalization and stereotype on his own heritage...in 2008.

And he's hurting Obama's campaign by default, just by bringing up Barack's name so many times, making these appearances, having such long ties to him.  Barack Obama is not Jeremiah Wright, and Jeremiah Wright is not Barack Obama.  But the more Wright talks, the more people fear their association.  The entire thing is unfortunate, all around.

Obama's response to Wright's speech was the best answer anyone can hope for in this situation. So you tell us: what do you believe?

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