Obama's speech: The Wright stuff?
Posted: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 9:10 AM by Mark Murray
Here is how the Obama campaign is previewing Obama’s speech, per an aide: “As the events of the last few weeks have pushed the issue of race to the forefront of this campaign, Senator Obama will deliver an address that seeks to understand the divisions that still exist in our society and begin an honest, open conversation about how our generation can begin to move beyond the battles and tensions of previous generations. He’ll discuss the controversy surrounding the offensive remarks made by Reverend Wright, but also why they were so contrary to the purpose of his candidacy, which is based on the recognition that there is far more that unites us than divides us.”
The New York Times: "Obama, in a speech Tuesday in Philadelphia, will repeat his earlier denunciations of the minister’s words, aides said. But they said he would also use the opportunity to open a broader discussion of race, which his campaign has said throughout the contest that it wants to transcend. He will bluntly address racial divisions, one aide said, talking about the way they play out in church, in the campaign, and beyond. Mr. Obama continued to write the speech on Monday evening, which he believes could be one of the most important of his presidential candidacy, aides said. His wife, Michelle, had not been scheduled to travel with him this week, but hastily made plans to be in Philadelphia."
More: "Obama concluded over the weekend that he had not sufficiently explained his association with the pastor. He told several aides he was worried that if voters did not hear directly from him — in the setting of a major speech — doubts and questions about him might grow.”
Obama's church is not taking this criticism in stride, the Washington Post says. "To his supporters, the message Wright wove through more than 4,000 sermons is now disseminated in a handful of grainy, two-minute video clips that tell only part of his story. Yes, they acknowledge, he was sometimes overcome at the pulpit by a righteous rage about racism and social injustice. But he was a radical who also inspired women to preach, gays to marry and predominantly white youth groups to visit his services. Until he retired last month, Wright, 66, implored all comers at Trinity to ‘get happy’ -- to shout, to sing, to dance in the aisles while he preached the gospel."
"On Monday, Obama reiterated his criticism of Wright and scheduled a major speech about race. He said that on Tuesday in Philadelphia he will explore his relationship with his former pastor and the uproar it has stirred. ‘The statements that were the source of controversy from Reverend Wright were wrong, and I strongly condemn them,’ the senator from Illinois said Monday at a town hall meeting in Monaca, Pa. But he added: ‘I think the caricature that is being painted of him is not accurate. And so part of what I'll do tomorrow is to talk a little bit about how some of these issues are perceived from within the black church community, for example, which I think views this very differently.’”
A viewer email had an interesting point on "Morning Joe": If Obama knew there was no WMD in Iraq in 2002, how did he not know what Rev. Wright was saying from the pulpit.
The Philadelphia Inquirer gives Rev. Jeremiah Wright the local treatment (he grew up in Philly), speaking to local pastors for reaction, including Rev. G. Daniel Jones, who leads Grace Baptist Church, which Wright’s father served from 1938 to 1980.
The Washington Post also attends a young black professional fundraiser for Obama and notes how many of these folks, who were raised on the Cosby Show in the '80s, see Cliff and Claire in Barack and Michelle.
