Clinton: Wright "Offensive And Outrageous"
In Interview, Dem Candidate Says Voters Will Decide How Controversy Over Obama's Former Pastor Affects Race
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Obama Blasts Rev. Wright
"CBS News RAW": Sen. Barack Obama says that he finds Rev. Jeremiah Wright's comments appalling and contradictory to his core values.
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Obama Denounces Preacher
Angered and anguished, Barack Obama tried to right his embattled campaign by denouncing his unrepentant preacher. Dean Reynolds reports.
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Rev. Wright Strikes Back
Using the podium as his pulpit, Barack Obama's controversial pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright addressed his detractors and defended his stances, which could hurt Obama's campaign. Dean Reynolds reports.
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"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Sen. Barack Obama said on Tuesday. (AP)
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Rev. Jeremiah Wright spoke at the National Press Club before the Washington press corps and a supportive audience of black church leaders. The fiery preacher repeated charges that the U.S. government created the AIDS virus to harm blacks, that the country brought the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on itself through its own tactics abroad. (CBS)
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(CBS/AP)
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Obama And Rev. Wright
Key dates in the relationship between Barack Obama and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
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In an interview Wednesday with Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly that will air tonight, Clinton says that she found the comments made by Wright to be "offensive and outrageous."
Clinton also reiterated her previous remarks about Wright that she would not have stayed in the church after hearing the comments. She said it was up to voters to decide how the controversy over Wright impacts the campaign.
O'Reilly asked Clinton to describe how she felt "when you hear a fellow American citizen say that kind of stuff about America."
"Well, I take offense," Clinton said. "I think it's offensive and outrageous. I'm going to express my opinion, others can express theirs. It is part of just, you know, an atmosphere we're in today."
Meanwhile, Obama was scrambling on Wednesday to put his presidential bid back on track a day after a public denouncing of Wright and both Democratic candidates pushed onward in a nomination struggle that appears to be dividing the party.
For almost a week Obama has been trying to put the controversy over Wright behind him, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds, and now he is about to find out if it is going to continue.
With key primaries in Indiana and North Carolina looming next week, their fight has given Republican nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain weeks to unite his party and define his candidacy with few major challenges from the opposition.
Obama called a news conference Tuesday to denounce the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose comments and highly publicized appearances were threatening to sink his historic bid for the White House. While he holds an apparently unassailable lead in elected delegates, the Wright controversy had created a heavy drag on Obama's momentum.
His refusal to sever ties to the theologian was seen as part of the reason Clinton turned in a nearly 10-percentage point victory in Pennsylvania last week. She has used her performance there to argue that the party's key superdelegates should back her as the most electable Democrat in the November general election.
There are about 800 Democratic superdelegates, officeholders and party officials who can vote for either candidate regardless of the results of state primary and caucus contests. Clinton has a narrowing 21 superdelegate lead while Obama has outdistanced Clinton 1,728.5 to 1,595.5 overall.
With only nine state and territorial contests remaining, Clinton cannot achieve the 2,025 delegate count needed for the nomination without capturing most of the superdelegates who remain uncommitted.
That would put the party hierarchy at odds with Democratic voters and could further deepen the Democratic split. A new Associated Press-Ipsos poll already shows many backers of both Clinton and Obama saying they would support McCain if their candidate does not take the nomination.
A somber-faced and angry Obama took on his former pastor Tuesday after weeks of defending his good works. He told reporters he was outraged and appalled by what he termed a "performance" by Wright at the National Press Club in Washington a day earlier. The fiery preacher repeated charges that the U.S. government created the AIDS virus to harm blacks, that the country brought the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on itself through its own tactics abroad.
The comments have battered Obama's campaign since they first came to light last month, and are seen as severely damaging to his support among white working-class voters in Indiana and North Carolina.
"I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday," Obama said in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"I think he caricatured himself. That made me angry, but also made me sad," Obama told reporters.
Obama flatly rejected the views expressed by Wright, who officiated at his wedding, baptized his two daughters and had been his pastor for 20 years before his retirement earlier this year. The title of Obama's second book, "The Audacity of Hope," was taken from a Wright sermon.
"What became clear to me is that he was presenting a world view that contradicts who I am and what I stand for," Obama said.
"And what I think particularly angered me was his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciations of his remarks were somehow political posturing. Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I'm about knows that I am about trying to bridge gaps and I see the commonality in all people."
Wright had characterized Obama's earlier rejection of his remarks as "what politicians have to do."
In a highly publicized and well-received speech last month, Obama sharply condemned Wright's remarks. But he did not leave Wright's Chicago church or repudiate the minister himself, who he said was like a family member.
Obama's tone was far different on Tuesday.
"I have been a member of (Wright's) Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992, and have known Reverend Wright for 20 years," Obama said. "The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago."
Obama said when he watched news accounts, he realized that it was more than just a case of the former pastor defending himself.
"His comments were not only divisive and destructive, I believe they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate," Obama said. "I'll be honest with you, I hadn't seen it" when reacting initially on Monday, he said.
CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer said Obama has put as much separation as he possibly could between him and Wright.
"I think he has done about all he can do, but the question is, will that be enough?" Schieffer said.
CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs added: "Obama's decision to address Wright's recent comments after several days of trying to stay away signals concern over the damage that was being done to his candidacy."
"His strong denunciation of Wright's remarks, particularly those made at the National Press Club, was aimed at voters in the upcoming primaries, a national audience and the Democratic superdelegates who hold so much power in the nominating process," Ververs said. "It may bring even more attention to the issue but Obama clearly felt he needed to make a very clear and public break with his former pastor." (Click here to read Ververs' full analysis).
Obama's struggle to find the right tone reflects a striking difference in how Democratic voters view the controversy and its proper handling.
Many white voters say they were deeply troubled and baffled by Obama's association with Wright, even before the preacher reiterated some of his most incendiary comments on Monday.
But black voters, in particular, urged Obama to rise above the campaign attacks and dustups, saying he is not responsible for what Wright says.
"I'm not so concerned" about Wright's comments, said Aliki Martin. A compliance officer at Duke University Medical Center, she was among 18,000 people who awaited Obama's arrival late Monday night at the University of North Carolina's basketball arena in Chapel Hill.
"I hope he keeps things positive," she said.
©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.





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See all 682 Commentshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brYWujMC-0k&NR=1
It also features Richard Cheney laughing about how he deceived his constituents in Wyoming about his time as a director of the CFR under David Rockefeller''s leadership.
Most of the Rockefellers are supporting Obama...Three prominent Rothschild family members are split between Clinton and McCain...Now that you know who the trash are supporting...you know who to stay away from...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brYWujMC-0k&NR=1
Greater love hath no man than to lay down his LINE for his friend.
He doesn''t give a d*mn about Obama...that''s clear..
When Obama talks about Wright''s outrageous comments, he appears stiff and unsure. He struggles for every word. But when he mention''s Wright''s comments about "playing politics," then we can see actual, real emotion. His jaw tightens, and the anger can be seen in his face. In other words, Wright would have probably gotten another pass from Obama, but Wright made it personal. The problem is that Obama''s comments and denunciations don''t make sense.
In the press conference, Obama said, "The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago." Later in the press conference, Obama said, "What we saw yesterday out of Reverend Wright was a resurfacing and, I believe, an exploitation of those old divisions. Whatever his intentions, that was the result." Obama keeps referencing "yesterday" as if Wright suddenly woke up the other day and decided to be an anti-American racist -- that Wright''s comments of recent days are somehow different than what he''s been preaching for years. Give me a break!
Obama doesn''t have a record to go after. He has no legacy of legislative accomplishment. He has made this campaign about his judgment and vision for America. If that is all he is running on, then he is in trouble, because his judgment regarding Rev. Wright calls into question his judgment in other areas as well.
Mnemonic
A mnemonic that can be used to remember the criteria for dependent personality disorder is DEPENDENT.
%u2022 D %u2013 Difficulty making everyday decisions
%u2022 E %u2013 Excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others
%u2022 P %u2013 Preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of self
%u2022 E %u2013 Exaggerated fears of being unable to care for himself or herself
%u2022 N %u2013 Needs others to assume responsibility for his or her life
%u2022 D %u2013 Difficulty expressing disagreement with others
%u2022 E %u2013 End of a close relationship is the beginning of another relationship
%u2022 N %u2013 Noticeable difficulties in initiating projects or doing things on his or her own
%u2022 T %u2013 %u201CTake care of me%u201D is his or her motto
And I kid you not 2 Democratic elected officals still came out for Obama today%u2026%u2026%u2026..Rep Braley in Ind was one
Mnemonic
A mnemonic that can be used to remember the criteria for dependent personality disorder is DEPENDENT.
D Difficulty making everyday decisions
E Excessive lengths to obtain nurturance and support from others
P Preoccupied with fears of being left to take care of self
E Exaggerated fears of being unable to care for himself or herself
N Needs others to assume responsibility for his or her life
D Difficulty expressing disagreement with others
E End of a close relationship is the beginning of another relationship
N Noticeable difficulties in initiating projects or doing things on his or her own
T %u201CTake care of me%u201D is his or her motto
And I kid you not 2 Democratic elected officals still came out for Obama today%u2026%u2026%u2026..Rep Braley in Ind was one
DEMS really there are Meds for this
So Jenna Bush, who is to get married next month, will ask Rev. Wright to marry them........
Obama has plenty and Hillary is broke
Obama leads in Pledged delegates and popular vote - and those will only increase on Tuesday.
While politicians (read superdelegates) have been known to go against the will of the people for personal or political gain - never has a politican been made that will turn his back on MONEY!
Ask yourself why you didn''t see the mass of superdelegate support Hillary expected after the Penn. Primary - the answer is simple, the superdelegates are just waiting for the right moment to align themselves with Obama to get access to his fundraising and the new constituency he has formed in the party. That right time will be after the NC and Indy Primaries.
Hillary is whipping a dead horse! NO WAY will the party go against the popular vote, pledged delegate vote, money, and in the process alienate all the new democrats that are now engaged because of Obama.
She doesnt always wear a flag pin !!!!
She doesnt deserve to win because without the flag pin how are we going to know which candidate is patriotic?
Posted by popstom1
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Yeah, historically Chicago been a mob town.
And like the mob they keep everything in the family.
Speaking of families wasn''t Daly''s father Mayor of Chicago on election night in 1960 when Kennedy receives the necessary votes to take the election?
Just think if Nixon had won, like he should have, Kennedy would probalby be alive today.
LBJ''s war in Vietnam never would have happened, probably.
My how the world would have changed.........
$15 million in debt and she claims to have passed the Steward of the Economy test.
Can he see if a leader of a country like Iran is lying?
Can he see if Hamas is lying to Israel?
Can he see the inadequacy of Chinas trade agreement?
All he sees is the "Global Poverty Act" which will cost us 845 billion dollars!
Obama sees what he only wants to see?
So Jenna Bush, who is to get married next month, will ask Rev. Wright to marry them........
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Posted by perceptions5 at 11:44 AM : Apr 30, 2008
+ report abuse
LOL Really?? I figured the REVERAND Robertson to do that... with all the confederate flags... along with the Klan, all decked out in their hoods and sheets!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! Can you say it with me swastika breath?? SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!!
Obama No
By Adolph Reed Jr., May 2008 Issue
%u2026%u2026%u2026
Because he%u2019s tried carefully to say enough of whatever the audiences he%u2019s been speaking to at the time want to hear while leaving himself enough space later on to deny his intentions to leave that impression, his record represents precisely the %u201Ccharacter%u201D weakness the Republicans have exploited in every Democratic candidate since Dukakis: Another Dem trying to put things over on the American people.
Obama%u2019s campaign has been very clever in carving out a strategy to amass Democratic delegate votes, but its momentum is in some ways a Potemkin construction%u2014built largely on victories in states that no Democrat will win in November%u2014that will fall apart under Republican pressure.
And then where will we be?
..............
Why is Pelsoi driving Dems off a cliff no win for Nov, personal power of course..
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Posted by mudrose at 11:25 AM : Apr 30, 2008
Right! We should all listen to this Swastika Hugger folks... this is one of the losers who gave us George W. Bush!! The WORST in our HISTORY!! LOL Not really someone we should be listening to as far as picking a President I''d say. Now are you ready bootlicker?? Come on Mud and let the head of the Gestapo, Cheney, hear you now!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!! Say Mud, as many boots as you have licked you should be able to tell us... How does that boot polish taste? ROFLMAO
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Posted by MCVet
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McVet aka McNaziNut how''s those Brownshirt meetings going.
Is your hero''s, the Dems, kicking any more states out of the Union in addition to Michigan and Florida?
McNaziNut, why should the folks in Michigan and Florida vote for a Democrat when your big hero, Howard anti-christ Dean, cut them and their votes out of the Dem primary?
Are you really a vet I always wondered? If you are go to www.shipwrecksoul.blogspot.com? Let me know what you think? Also are you an Obama supporter too?
..........So McNaziNut, please tell all of us WHY Obama is the best?
Standing by........................
Are you really a vet I always wondered? If you are go to www.shipwrecksoul.blogspot.com? Let me know what you think? Also are you an Obama supporter too?
But Hillary is unelectable because polls show that 60 % of people regard her as the most dishonest politician in the presidential race !!
It is more of a hate whites, hate Jews, hate the government, back to Africa, cult than a church.
It has as its logo a map of Africa and in its mission statement proclaims its uncompromising loyalty to Africa. The mission statement also quotes W.E.B. Dubois, a member of the Communist Party U.S.A. who was the first of the ''''''''back to Africa'''''''' traitors who left the country and renounced his U.S. citizenship.
This church also has ties to the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan. Indeed, they gave Farrakhan their highest award. Wright accompanied Farrakhan in 1984 to Libya to meet with Quaddafi, at a time when America suspected him of sponsoring terrorism.
At the least, Obama%u2019s membership in Wright%u2019s church suggests a lack of judgment and an insensitivity to views that are repugnant to the vast majority of Americans.
If your pastor is preaching hate whites, and "God Damm America", and %u201CThe government invented AIDs to kill people of color%u201D and has ties to the Nation of Islam, and as an elder you don%u2019t stand up and demand a change or leave the church you are part that hate.
Posted by trapbreak at 11:54 AM : Apr 30, 2008
You have a very wet and full diaper...
You take care of it...
McNaziNut, why should the folks in Michigan and Florida vote for a Democrat when your big hero, Howard anti-christ Dean, cut them and their votes out of the Dem primary?
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Posted by perceptions5 at 11:52 AM : Apr 30, 2008
+ report abuse
Well lets see... How many MILLIONS of jobs have the lost to the VERY unfair Trade Agreements that have stabbed American Workers in the back? How many of them want to see Social Security fixed? How many of them want the Health Care System to finally Work in this country? How many of them remember when we had a Balanced Budget? How many of them care about the 9.5 TRILLION Dollar Debt that their kids will have to pay off? Oh then there''s the War that never had to be... you know the one that''s costing us 12 BILLION Dollars a MONTH??? YOU have got to be completely BRAIN dead to vote for a republican after all that!! SIEG HEIL BUSH!!
The Federal Election Commission has just reported that her campaign debt is $15 million and not $10 million as the Clinton camp reported because she failed to list her $5 million loan among the debts.
This means that even after her new surge of fundraising, she is still $5 million in debt; but Hillary is still smiling; why? Because she knows that her $110 million fortune is nice and safe. It%u2019s the ordinary person on the street who is tricked into losing money on a campaign that is doomed to fail.
Mitt Romney put $42 million of his own money into his campaign, why doesn%u2019t Hillary show she has complete confidence in her campaign and put in some of her own millions. Why? Because she knows it%u2019s a lost cause.
Those of you who are fooled into contributing to her campaign ask yourself why she LOANS her own money but wants you to GIVE your money?
Anybody but Obama in 2008. Yes, that includes Hillary.
Are you really a vet I always wondered? If you are go to www.shipwrecksoul.blogspot.com? Let me know what you think? Also are you an Obama supporter too?
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Posted by SPY-vs-SPY_ at 11:56 AM : Apr 30, 2008
+ report abuse
Oh yeah Sparky... United States Marines... RVN... 1968-69. Sieg Heil Bush
Religion is nothing but a tool to most politicians - do you really believe Hillary is some god fearing chrisitian when she routinely uses back door political games to vilify people - give me a break. If there is a H*E*L*L she''ll win going there by a landslide
.
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Posted by trapbreak at 11:58 AM : Apr 30, 2008
+ report abuse
True and Senator Byrd has made his peace with those he wronged.. Now what about the BASE of the Republican Party TODAY?? THOSE are the KLAN we need to worry about here sparky?? Now ready?? Put on your hood and sheet!! Sing it out! SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!!
Posted by MCVet at
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Hey McNaziNut, how did you like fighting LBJ''s war in Vietnam? (What party did LBJ belong to?)
-posted by MCVet
The only KKK member in our national government is Robert KKK Byrd (Democrat) of West Virginia. You need a McEducation.
-Posted by MCVet at 12:00 PM : Apr 30, 2008
Hey, McStupid, there are no Republican KKK members in the Senate. There is one Democrat KKK member in the Senate. You can believe whatever you want, but the facts are the facts.
Sorry, loser.
-posted by MCVet
The only KKK member in our national government is Robert KKK Byrd (Democrat) of West Virginia. You need a McEducation.
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Posted by mike71067 at
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Ever notice how the flaming liberal Democrats "alway" allow for "atonement" for their pals like Robert KKK. Byrd.............
But no atonement for Republicans.......strange
.
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Posted by trapbreak at 11:58 AM : Apr 30, 2008
+ report abuse
True and Senator Byrd has made his peace with those he wronged.. Now what about the BASE of the Republican Party TODAY?? THOSE are the KLAN we need to worry about here sparky?? Now ready?? Put on your hood and sheet!! Sing it out! SIEG HEIL GRAND WIZARD!!
Posted by MCVet at 12:00 PM : Apr 30, 2008
And he has gone on to become a well respected man by all of the major civil rights movements. You know it never ceases top amaze me that the so-called Christians on the extreme right wing continue to go after Byrd considering he''s a man who sinned, confessed his sins and corrected them, a classic salvation story. I guess it only counts if a person gets saved who is already on thier side.
It is common for clerics to possess extreme views. Pat Robertson, the late Jerry Farwell, Jeremiah Wright and numerous others are full of themselves and political candidates have to tread carefully when their clerical associations begin to rant.
North Carolina is very priveleged to see and inspire the great purging process that gives drama to any political campaign.
Posted by trapbreak at 11:58 AM : Apr 30, 2008
John McCain Flip Flops on Confederate Flag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN8EMmML-es
http://therealmccain.com/
Is it his skin color?
Is it because our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press really likes him, in the tank?
Is it the great job he did in the "southside" of Chicago? (Which is STILL the bad-est part of town)
Help us out McNaziNut so we can understand WHY you love Obama.........(maybe it''s just the (D) after his name)
Please advise..........standing by......
Posted by perceptions5 at 12:00 PM : Apr 30, 2008
What is the Domino Theory ?
Who sent the first troops into Vietnam right after the French left?
The Republicans will have a lot more on Clinton than a whacky former paster.
Posted by perceptions5 at 12:03 PM : Apr 30, 2008
Craig tried but a Republican judge said - No
Posted by perceptions5 at 12:00 PM : Apr 30, 2008
What is the Domino Theory ?
Who sent the first troops into Vietnam right after the French left?
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Posted by IOWEIGN at
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Answer: LBJ (put 1/2 million US combat troops in Vietnam and no one can dispute that)
But folks can "lie" about the facts........Iowain
Posted by perceptions5 at 12:00 PM : Apr 30, 2008
What is the Domino Theory ?
Who sent the first troops into Vietnam right after the French left?
Posted by IOWEIGN at 12:07 PM : Apr 30, 2008
Careful, when you point out the truth to republicans it only confuses them more. They have their own version of the truth and reality has no place in it.
But folks can "lie" about the facts........Iowain
Posted by perceptions5 at 12:09 PM : Apr 30, 2008
Actually the correct answer is David Eisenhower. David Eisenhower. But hey, thanks for playing and be sure to pick up the home version of the truth on your way out of the studio.
Next!
-Posted by SgtRDS at 12:08 PM : Apr 30, 2008
Well, is was a great move by the Hillary campaign, and it has become Obama''s BIGGEST problem. In that respect, it is NOT a dead horse, but a real issue. Americans don''t want a follower of Black Liberation Theology in the White House. Period.
Anybody but Obama in 2008!
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