Rev. Wright Blasts Obama-Muslim Rumors

(AP)  The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, accused people who wrongly believe Obama is Muslim of catering to political enemies during a fiery speech Sunday in Arkansas.

In his sermon at New Millennium Church in Little Rock, Wright also criticized supporters of the Iraq war and defended former state Court of Appeals Judge Wendell Griffen for speaking out against it. Griffen serves as the church's pastor.

Wright's only reference to Obama came when he compared Griffen's opponents to those who incorrectly think Obama is Muslim. The president, whose full name is Barack Hussein Obama, is Christian.

"Go after the military mindset ... and the enemy will come after you with everything," Wright told the packed church.

"He will surround you with sycophants who will criticize you and ostracize you and put you beyond the pale of hope and say 'you ain't really a Baptist' and say 'the president ain't really a Christian, he's a Muslim. There ain't no American Christian with a name like Barack Hussein,"' he added.

A poll released this month found that nearly one in five people, or 18 percent, said they thought Obama was Muslim, up from the 11 percent in March 2009. The proportion who correctly said he was Christian was 34 percent, down from 48 percent in March of last year. The poll, conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center and its affiliated Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, surveyed 3,003 people.

Obama Blames "Misinformation" for Muslim Rumors

Obama cut ties with Wright in 2008, after Wright's more incendiary remarks hit the Internet during the presidential election. At a National Press Club appearance in April 2008, Wright claimed the U.S. government could plant AIDS in the black community, praised Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrahkan and suggested Obama was putting his pastor at arm's length for political purposes while privately agreeing with him.

Obama denounced Wright as "divisive and destructive" and left Wright's church in Chicago.

Griffen lost a re-election bid for the Arkansas Court of Appeals in 2008, after high profile battles with a state judicial panel over the rights of judges to speak out on political issues. Griffen was elected in May to a judicial post in Pulaski County, the state's most populous county that includes Little Rock.

Griffen said he invited Wright to speak at his church as part of a monthlong focus on the relationship between faith and the community.

Wright defended Griffen's outspokenness on political issues, saying it showed he was willing to speak out even if it would cost him politically.

Wright's sermon focused on the Old Testament story of the prophet Elisha thwarting an attack by the Aramean Army. Wright repeatedly made references to the war in Iraq and suggested parallels with the Biblical story.

"What was his motivation? Elisha had embarrassed him, like Saddam had embarrassed George Herbert Walker," Wright said, referring to the former president.

Wright spoke as Arkansas Republicans hope to capitalize on Obama's unpopularity in the fall election. Obama has not visited the state since 2006, and lost its six electoral votes in the 2008 election.

[jgg000101]

nothing like a former muslim who now preaches black liberation theology which blames all of the black's problems on the whites to testify to your christianity. What a freaken joke.

[RobAla]

Rev. Wright reminds us all that President Obama sat in his church for 20 years listening to him curse the United States of America from the pulpit. We should all remember that candidate Obama said that Rev. Wright was his spiritual mentor....until things got a little hot. Too little was made about the connection between candidate Obama and his weird pastor. The media was so careful to play down this connection, that some people were left to think that President Obama is a Muslim.

President Obama was raised a Muslim, and later he became involved with this US hating pastor who walks on the fringe of racism. I'm not sure what President Obama's personal faith is, but if he thinks it is important to talk about - I'm sure he will.

[ajvw]

skyk1 - A cheeseburger is a hamburger with cheese added to it. Traditionally the cheese is placed on top of the patty, but the sandwich can include many variations in structure, ingredients, and composition. The term itself is a portmanteau of the words "cheese" and "hamburger." The cheese is usually sliced, then added shortly before the hamburger finishes cooking to allow it to melt. Cheeseburgers are often served with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard, mayonnaise, gherkins or ketchup. In fast food restaurants, the cheese is typically processed cheese, but there are variations, such as Cheddar, Swiss, Mozzarella, Blue cheese, and Pepper jack.

I'm sure you'll find something racist in there.

[thanksgreed]

Lordy, I'm hungry.

[louiville35]

It (cheeseburger) was patented by evil white people in 1935 Denver Colorado, to kill off high blood pressure black people.

[pragmatist1]

Wright is a sixties extremist relic and dinosaur, just like Sharpton, Farrakhan, Pfleger, Jackson, etc. Who cares what Wright thinks. We know him to be a racist and a liar. Let others think whatever they want about the president. It's still a free country. The president hasn't done anything to prevent the rumors. The president spends more time condemning those that criticize this religion and more time defending the Muslim faith than condemning those that criticize Christianity and more time defending his own faith and speaking out about its virtues. Either the president is lying or he's ashamed of his own declared religion, which he rarely supports in actions or word. He can't have it both ways without being under suspicion by some. People still don't buy his explanations about sitting in Wright's church for decades and not knowing what Wright was all about. He's lied once, he'll lie again, and again and anytime it suits him. That's also his prerogative. Essentially, anytime the president is criticized, his supporters just can't handle it. That, too, is their right just as the right of others to criticize, question and condemn him, for whatever.

[OldProfessor]

You do have a good point that Obama does ignore the sniping about his birth, religion or occupations. However, it seems to me that it does work for him.....he did win the Democratic nomination....and then beat McCain and Palin for the presidency. One could conclude the American voters are able to distinguish grain from chaff. I did notice this week that the powers which control the sniping evidently put the muslim label on ice. We are getting close to election time and it seemed the muslim label was beginning to cause a backlash.

[mctrog007]

old prof.
the only thing the American people did was vote for a black man because he was a black man. Had Obama came to the plate with exactly the same creditability (or lack of) but had been white he would have been laughed at by all Republicans as well as democrats. as it is he got the job because of color. he has no knowledge of what he is doing, doesn't care about the country and is only in this for what he can get out of it.

Now before you start calling me a racist understand that I will be the first in line to vote for a black man, or woman as long as they can do the job better than the competition irreguardless of race or sex. It's not what is outside that matters, it's what is inside.
With Obama though no one is sure just exactly what is inside, not even his own people.

[louiville35]

by skyk1 August 30, 2010 3:07 PM EDT
louiville35, the President has ANSWERED that question MANY times and we BOTH know what's going on here. By your name YOU live in Kentucky as I do. IF you are going to come on here and spew hate without basis IT will get noticed. This President was handed a God Awful Mess that no other President has been handed. He hasn't even been in Office 2 Years and those of you who GAVE us the INCOMPETENT leaders who HANDED him that mess have been spewing hate since DAY 1.. NO You were Spewing the hate BEFORE he took office. THAT isn't America and will only land YOU and our State on the WRONG side of History.
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Ummmmm SKYK1 in case you haven't noticed what the rest of us have is that we KNOW Obama will say just about anything to get into and stay in power.

SO he has a massive credibility gap and anything he says would need to be backed up with verifiable facts. His religion cannot be independently verified, so his word is only worth as much as his reputation which is dropping fast.

[OldProfessor]

Well, Obama did teach at a Baptist university for 12 years. That should count for something.

[mctrog007]

Yes, it means he might be a decent professor. I don't know, I haven't seen his records. Are those sealed like most everything else of his or are they available for view?
In any case I have met several professors in my past and most of them aren?t qualified to tie their own shoes. They are alright when teaching but outside of class they just don't connect with what is happening in the world and cannot relate to it. There are some that can connect but Obama has already shown he is NOT one of those with his MY way or no way stand on things.

[thanksgreed]

by skyk1 August 30, 2010 2:40 PM EDT

You do realize your rants sound like those of the good reverend's, don't you?

You're a teeny-weeny bit off on my profile....but that's ok. It made me chuckle.

[thanksgreed]

Hey there cutie, I'm a progressive. You're a kook. You sound like a left wing Beck. Grow up.
See world...there are nuts on both sides.

[louiville35]

by skyk1 August 30, 2010 2:54 PM EDT
louiville35, you really should see a Doctor. I'm serious! You can't respond to anything.. I don't know if it's that you can't read and understand what you read or you think you are so superior to everyone else that you don't have too. Either way YOU need help Spuds!!
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I see you didn't answer the question so I can assume you ARE a member of the "Fruits of Islam"?

Oh and BTW no one cares what Wright has to say because he has zero credibility except for a few isolated losers.

[louiville35]

by skyk1 August 30, 2010 2:52 PM EDT
louiville35, what's with you poor people? You can't address an issue without ATTACKING the other party? The issue is simple. Do you folks in the New White Citizens Counsel want everyone to hate our President for this Old Baptist Preacher or do you want us to hate him because you say he's a Muslim? Now you have been in this HATE game and know the codes as well as I do. I mean just WHO do you people think you are fooling here? LOL
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My opinion skyk is I think the only one who can truly answer the question of what Obama's religion is, is Obama.

Now if I was to judge what it is by his actions, I would have to say I don't know what he is. I'm not sure he knows ether. May be he just goes to church for the political connections.

[thanksgreed]

Oh wouldn't ya just LOVE having Wright speak on you behalf???

Welcome back CBS. Hope you stopped the drinking.

[louiville35]

So skyk1 are you a member of the "Fruits of Islam"?

[tsigili]

Would anyone seriously listen to anything that Wright has to say?

He has already demonstrated, that he is racist, among other things, and he supports Farrakhan, who is an extremist.