Not 'my pastor'

Posted: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:36 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: 2008, Clinton

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
Clinton decided to weigh in on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "He would not have been my pastor," Clinton said. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

She continued later, "You know, I spoke out against Don Imus (who was fired from his radio and television shows after making racially insensitive remarks), saying that hate speech was unacceptable in any setting, and I believe that. I just think you have to speak out against that. You certainly have to do that, if not explicitly, then implicitly by getting up and moving."

On her sniper gaffe, "I was sleep-deprived, and I misspoke."

On earmarks: "I am proud of my earmarks. Part of the reason that I won New York by 67 percent are my earmarks."

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Comments

Clinton decided to weigh in on the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "He would not have been my pastor," Clinton said. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

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YOU GO GIRL!!!!

We don't want a President that will sit there and listen to racist comments for 20 years.He did't stand up for our country.Obama sat there and listened for 20 Years.

If he couldn't change Wright's views how can he change a whole country?

Clinton 08

Patty,sd,ca (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:47 PM)

And it continues.....

perseverence is great quality but at this point she seems to know that she will loose the nomincation and her only intent is to ensure that the democrats loose in November (by lengthening the current race).

Getting Mcain elected she believes will position her for a campaign run in 2012. Interestingly if she was such an inevitable candidate and lost 2008 how can she believe she will be viable in 2012.

At this point she will go through to the end and be the democrat that destroys the democratic party for next 20 years. For me...someone who loved the clintons this is just unfortunate... and I cant get my mind around the cynical and selfish nature of their plans.

DemocratSoulSearch (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:48 PM)

Sleep deprived? That was a prepared speech that was fully acted out. Hillary's also been sleep deprived about all of the other experience she has been stating? She can't apologize (of course we already knew that), but she can continue to lie without problem. Does anyone think she even knows the truth anymore?

MBM, Chicago, IL (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:48 PM)

Way to go Hillary!.....about time somebody spoke out about that racist, anti-american, hate filled church Obama belongs to.
How he could stay there 20 years is beyond me. His new Pastor seems to believe the same way Rev. Wright does.
Obama is a liar and anti-white america. His wife thinks America is mean and isn't proud to be an American.I will never vote for this man, I do not trust him.
His 20 year assc. with Rev Wright and this racist hate spewing church showed me all I need to know about Obama.

John Doe (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:49 PM)

Hillary shouldn't have gone there. This is the church that she's chosen. Wonder how this church feels about her Bosnia lie.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/20/opinion/main3955108.shtml

Enrique, Chicago (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:49 PM)

It's about time Hillary spoke out about Obama sitting in that church pew for 20 years. Clapping to anti-american statements and praising that nutty preacher should be reason enough to sink his campaign.

Mark, Birmingham, Alabama (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:50 PM)

Hey Hillary, Don Imus has been making racially insensitive remarks well before you spoke out and you did not speak out until the African-American journalist and community was calling for Imus firing.

Now, you want to talk about the Obama's pastor controversy when you were asked before and you declined. If I remember, you said, "that is a question for Obama".

Once again, you show your true character...one I would rather not vote for.

Maddog, Charlotte NC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:50 PM)

Let's see...I misspoke and I don't want to bring up the race card. Hillary, I thought you wanted to fight fair. Oh wait, you're a Clinton. I forgot.

Democrat (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:51 PM)

http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Too little to late, most likely. Obama's camp brings up the blue dress while HRC sets there with her mouth shut. Apparently her campaign is either too stupid or too lazy to do a youtube search.

twocanpete (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:51 PM)

She was sleep-deprived both times (that we know of so far) she recounted the story?

hrc is an electoral nightmare (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:51 PM)

If he would not have been your pastor, how come he was invited to minister to your husband at the white house during his personal crises?

Dupe, concord NC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:51 PM)

You don’t choose your relative but you choose your husband.

And it was your chose to stay with him after he commented adultery time and time again.

Never had the courage to ever leave him even though he publicly humiliated you.

That makes you a pathetic weakling and a poor Role Model to your daughter

justwaitandsee (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:52 PM)

Nice one Hillary. But I think equating Rev. Wright with Don Imus may come back to bite her at least with some communities.

How much political courage does it take to add yourself to the pile-on on top of Imus?

She was "sleep-deprived" at least a couple of times as she and her campaign were stonily denying Sinbad's account of the the trip and it made it into the prepared remarks circulated to journalists at least once. Is her staff sleep deprived? Or simply unwilling to question her account of things?

How can she proclaim that she is "proud of her earmarks" and continue to refuse to release them?

Gary, Toronto, ON (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:53 PM)

And as far as "misspeaking" with sleep deprivation...wasn't she the one who ran the 3 a.m. ad?

Presidents don't get to misspeak when sleep-deprived.

Obama 08

Lisa, New Britain, CT (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:53 PM)

"I am proud of my earmarks. Part of the reason that I won New York by 67 percent are my earmarks." Yeah, it works just fine if you can buy people's votes...right, Hillary?

MS, Seattle (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:53 PM)

Apparently, the Clinton campaign has decided that African Americans are not going to vote for her anyway, so it's fine to pander to white voters who are resistant to considering race relations or racism seriously, by the false equation of Don Imus' remarks and Rev. Wright's as "hate speech." It's short attention span theatre-- Wright's remarks, although I disagree with many of them, when taken in context, are clearly not hate speech. In fact, they condemn the cycle of violence, and Wright explicitly welcomed people of all ethnic backgrounds into the church. I'm sure Hilary Clinton is well aware of that, but the truth doesn't ever seem to impact her words or behavior.

Lee, Los Angeles, Calif. (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:54 PM)

Mr. Ikes statement on some other information would come out on Obama, is an indication of the origin of the Rev. Wright snippets.

It also explains the diffusion, the other candidates and the two passport companies, used to coverup the Obama passport file breaches. I beleive however did it is aligned with the Republicans in a joint venture.

Dwaine, Colorado Springs, CO (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:54 PM)

By the way...

Hillary Clinton won her home state of New York by 57%, not 67%. Still sleep deprived or another misstatement?

Democrat (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:54 PM)

Sleep deprived at 3:00 in the morning too. Go ahead pick your church. Pick carefully. Pick one that agrees with you on everything.

Dan, Bronxville, NY (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:56 PM)

What a witch. And if you're so proud of your earmarks, why won't you release them? How about those tax returns, too, as well as who has supported the Clinton library......the list is endless. YOU are just exhausting.......you need to go away.

Diane from Illinois (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:56 PM)

She was "sleep-deprived" and "misspoke"?

Would she be sleep-deprived and "misspeak" when the phone rings at 3 AM? Perhaps she'd confuse the housing crisis with sniper fire and order a carpet bombing of Wall Street? <-- insert sarcasm here

BTW, Hillary - you also can't CHOOSE what your pastor will say in a sermon, but you CAN CHOOSE whether or not to LIE to make yourself sound cool.

Brian Hussein (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:59 PM)

Maybe Clinton should have Wright as a pastor. He might teach her to not lie. He might also teach her that America is not without fault, particularly in foreign affairs and internal racial inequalities. And as for being deprived of something, "get used to it Hillie, you're going to be deprived of being commander in chief, too."

bill, okla (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:59 PM)

Who is Hillary's pastor? Does she attend a church? Does she have a "spiritual advisor"?

Rochelle (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 1:59 PM)

Hillary misspoke because she was sleep deprived. Hillary was sleep deprived because:
a) She was waiting up until 3AM for the red phone to ring

b) She was waiting up to bail Bill out of jail

c)She was busy making up her resume for her 35 years of service

d) She was busy making up the next "misspeak"

e) She will have plenty of time to catch up once she loses the nomination

Hillary Clinton "The Steve Erkel of the Democrats, Did I say that?"

IndependentInNC,NC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:00 PM)

Hillary's comments are very surprising since she didn't leave Bill Clinton after his bad behavior in
Arkansas and the White House. No, we don't choose our parents, but we do select our spouses. We also make decisions about whether or not we stay with them when they have behaved like Clinton.

Ponderonit (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:00 PM)

Is there any truth to the Obama camp claim that the sniper comment was in Sen. Clinton's prepared remarks? How does being "sleep deprived" explain that?

Lynn Akers, Atlanta GA. (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:01 PM)

I deeply loathe this woman and everything she represents. If she's President in 2009, I and my family are leaving this country because her as the President would be as much a travesty as the current President is. And as to why I would leave the country? She said it perfectly: "You don't choose your family but you do choose what [country you want to live in].

Jon, Reno, NV (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:01 PM)

If you were sleep deprived and mispoke once, I could understand. How do you explain the other three times at different forums where you said the same thing. Sometimes if you tell a lie over and over, you start to believe it. What else are you lying (or sleepily not remebering) about?

Randall Crutcher, Omaha, Ne. (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:07 PM)

Just what were those earmarks Senator Clinton????? We don't know because you won't show us. As a matter of fact, what about the 200,000 jobs you promised us in the state of NY??? They never materialized. There are a bunch of people you "picked" to associate yourself with - some of them are dead under mysterious circumstances, some of them are in jail, and still others are on the run from the law. And now you expect us to believe that as you stood there, wrapped in that ridiculous scarf, that you were tired, and that's why you "misspoke" . Could you be any MORE a liar than you already are?!? This is stomach turning!

YCM - NYC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:08 PM)

You can make an argument for the 'choosing the church' statement, but she's attended some of these churches that have fiery rhetoric. A bigger issue is that she's using Don Imus to show how wise and sensitive she is to insensitive remarks. Hillary Clinton appeared on the Don Imus show multiple times after he had made horrible remarks on ethnicity, gender, and anything else going back a few years. It's a strange and dangerous statement considering that it's relatively easy to archive.
Sniper-gate: The more she says, the worse it gets. She was clearing wide-eyed and if she was sleep deprived...shouldn't this make us a little worried when she gets the 3 am call? Don't want us making another huge policy error.

Mpho, Madison, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:08 PM)

Will the CLintons now release their Pastors sermons????? If she says she would have left the Church I think the public has the right to know what her Pastor has said. It is a reasonable request. It is time for the media to ask. Also, ask for McCain's Pastors sermons. Will the media stand up? The media will continue on this story through November why not ask for the release of all sermons on both sides? The media decides the story. Show balance by reviewing both sides.

Don - St Louis (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:10 PM)

Hillary is right. You choose your church and your pastor. If Obama did not consider the anti-American and racially divisive teachings of Rev. Wright important or disconcerting enough for him to disassociate himself from the pastor, then Obama's philosophy about this country is a big question mark. He not only did not disassociate himself from Wright, but instead gave him a position on his campaign. He had conversations with Wright saying that if he got past the primary, he may have to disassociate himself from Wright for the general election, so Obama knew about Wright's extremist views. Obama also weighed in on the Don Imus remarks, calling for MSNBC to fire Imus. Words do matter, as Obama himself has often said. Obama is a political opportunist who will do and say anything to get elected.

dwilson Columbia, SC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:10 PM)

Lets see Obammorons! Apparently, by your book its ok for Obama's mentor to be an unamerican unpatriotic racist bigot pastor, but its not ok for Hillary to mispeak about what happened more than 10 years ago! This whole thing makes me sick. This is one Hillary supporter who will NEVER EVER EVER EVER vote for Obama. Yes, she did mispeak about what happened. She was told to put on a bullet proof vest before leaving the plane because there was threat of sniper fire, and that's what she meant to say you idiot Obamabots. I can't wait for Obama to lose the general election if he gets the nominee, so all us Clinton supporters can say, very loud: Told ya so, told ya so, told ya told ya, told ya so!

Pat huntington NY (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:11 PM)

Hillary YOUR PANTS ARE ON FIRE and nobody believes a word you say anymore!!!!!

Oh, yeah, didn't you choose Bill? Some would call that a "stain" on your judgement.

J Radway, Amagansett, New York (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:11 PM)

sleep-deprived? I'm pretty sure a lack of sleep doesn't usually cause me to make up stories that are obviously untrue.

Carolyn, New hampshire (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:11 PM)

She was sleep-deprived? I hope she'll be wide awake enough to answer that 3 a.m. phone call without misspeaking. "you know, they told me there were snipers, you know and I just, you know, told them to take military action, you know....or was that Iraq?"

Sue, Bloomington, IN (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:12 PM)

Of course he wouldn't be your pastor. You are not Black. Your husband was not the first African American President. You continue to use out of context quotes to savage the probable nominee of the party to assist in the election of John McCain so that you may run against him in 2012. You are about nothing except your personal ambition.
When the remarks are placed in context they reveal criticisms of America from a point of view that you could no nothing about.
Obama sees a way for us to deal with this extreme anger from SOME Blacks and the extreme reaction by SOME whites. Because it is time to deal with it and put it behind us.
Without criticism and honest self examination, progress is impossible.

"The sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country."
Robert F. Kennedy

Gary Schear, Bozeman Montana (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:12 PM)

the clinton campaign tactics are reminiscent of Karl Rove- maim and destroy - only this time she is doing it to her own party. And yet, her supporter Carville talks about the importance of loyalty. Where is the Clinton loyalty (other than to themselves and their own political ambitions)? I hope the dems unite to see she never holds another office - anywhere.

bernadette (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:13 PM)

So, her idea is to "denouce" and "reject" anyone who is not perfect. I guess that represents about 99.9% of the world, including her "husband," who has said some questionable statements during this campaign. When is she going to denouce him? How is she supposed to be our leader and work across all party lines and country cultures if she is going to continue to reject everyone who says something uncomfortable or controversial. Oh, wait a minute, she is just rejecting all of statements made by her opponents associates. I have not seen her say anything regarding her own cohorts - she just cowers away (ie Spitzer, Ferraro, Husband). BTW, she picked her husband (family), and he cheated on her and publicly humiliated her. Why would you stay with someone like that? Money? Influence? Please explain that to me. If she would denounce that then MAYBE I would be able to take her seriously. Call me crazy, but I would rather forgive someone I care about for saying something not very PC than forgive my own cheating spouse.

Fed Up Liberal (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:13 PM)

Obama's defense of his pastor/spiritual advisor/father figure and his comments on more than one occasion about his grandmother are good indications of his personal views on white people in general. His comment about his grandmother being a "typical white person" seems to imply that he presumes all white people to be racist or prejudice against African Americans. Rev. Wright is not just some pastor, or his former pastor, but an extremely important/influential figure in his life. Unless of course their association has all just been a political agreement to help along with his politcal career. Why have the major media outlets been unable to question Rev. Wright directly about his comments and his reaction to Obama statements about him after his speech of race? Geraldine Ferraro made herself readily available as soon as the story broke. What are Obama or Rev Wright afraid of, if all his rants (Oh sorry. Apparently that's racist)were taken out of context?
If Obama would not and did not speak up for America and the majority of Americans (white people) in church over 20 years of Rev. Wright's anti American comments, of which he now admits he had heard (similar comments), why should we believe him that he would do so now, on a much larger scale?

MW, Washington, DC (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:14 PM)

I will give The Clintons one thing. It has got to take nerve to put on the daily "performances" that we see out of her.
Shoot, there are likely a lot of ladies out there that look at Bill Clinton and say: Not my husband! As i'm sure "Hillarious" would agree, you don't choose your family, but, you do choose your husband.

Dshawn233 LaVergne, Tn (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:16 PM)

Wow, I would have never thought Hillary Clinton would go this low. This is utterly a low blow. I truely believe she wants Mccain to win more than Obama. Its getting really nasty. This is coming from her mouth, not a surrogate. She will do anything to win.

Nick, Memphis, Tenn (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:16 PM)

Hillary just opened Pandora's Box!!!!!!!!!!!!

She does NOT want to talk about unsavory pastors! Her own religious relationships are WAYYYY worse than Obama's!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/20/opinion/main3955108.shtml

Linda. Boston, MA (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:17 PM)

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Straight up and down, Hillary Clinton is desperate.

Blaine (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:17 PM)

Paddy,sd,ca

You did not complete the sentence..."You Go Girl!" It ends by adding these few words, "Keep going until you are out of sight! HILLARY you go girl, until you are out of sight!. Too immature (thinks like a teenager, acts like a teenager, lies like a teenager). And I apologize to all teenagers for saying that.

A.Brocco,Albuquerque,NM (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:18 PM)

Hillary: "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

My response to you Sen. Clinton, is that you also choose to tell the truth, if you are a righteous person who cares so much about this country as you say you do. It is interesting however, that each and every time we ask you for the truth, you chose not to tell it. Do you even know what a sniper is? He is a professional killer. Knows how to do his job, so if in fact you were in a situation like that, you wouldnt be alive right now. The greatest thing about America, is that the people who serve her in the Armed Forces are professional as well, and they would have never allowed you to be put in that situation. Yiou just want to keep the racial divide going by the statement you just gave concerning Sen. Obama. You are not for the American people, you are just for yourself. You dont chose your family, but when your husband did what he did, you forgave him. Why is there a different standard for Sen. Obama? You can choose what church to attend, as well as you chose to associate with the Whitewater deal, and then somehow "dont recollect" any of that. This coming from a lawyer. If my lawyer ever used the term " I dont recollect", he would not be my lawyer anymore, nor my senator, nor my president. Give it up Hillary. You've embarrased yourself enough. You had the name, but you didnt have the charisma nor the talent to see it through.

Obama '08

Cross, Margate, FL (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:18 PM)

Now that's tactical. Save your 'Wright' comment for the 'right' time. (When you really need that old Clinton 'Smoke'). Namely when you've humiliated yourself beyond the pale with your bold-faced Bosnian lie. If Hillary truly believed Rev. Wright belonged to the same fraternity as Don Imus, she would have gone after this weeks ago.
Sleep deprived? No, 'truth' deprived.

Pulling for Obama '08

donna, pgh., pa. (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:18 PM)

The problem with Hillary is that she doesn't have a personal pastor, she's moved from state to state to state to state. Also, she didn't speak out to Imus over the racial comments. She spoke out against Imus, because Imus always spoke bad about her.

Hillary, you've won in New York, because of your husband, & it's a very Democratic State, and there hasn't been a republican who wants run, because they know it's a democratic state.

Hillary, Obama has slept that much either, but he's not going around making-up stories or lies.

sozzi, mamaroneck, ny (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:18 PM)

She didn't speak out when Bill invoked race after SC, completely out of context of the question.

She didn't "reject and denounce" the Hispanic leader who said she wouldn't vote for Obama because he's black.

She played coy when Ferraro dismissed Obama as an example of affirmative action.

She uses Clintonesque parsing of words by saying Obama isn't Muslim "as far as she knows"; "I misspoke" even though she said it repeatedly; and now weigh says Wright wouldn't be her pastor even though Bill invited him to a prayer breakfast to pray for Bill after he finally admitting cheating on Hillary.

By the way, Hillary chose Bill and look what he did. Depite his sin and how he humiliated her, she stayed with him. She knows first hand what it means to have a loved one do something terrible and to love that person anyway.

She has given the country a first rate lesson on what it means to be cold and calculating. I believe she's trying to destroy Obama (and the dems) in '08 to set the table for her in 2012 - talk about Judas!

Randy E (SC) (Sent Tuesday, March 25, 2008 2:18 PM)

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