Bill Clinton And Jeremiah Wright Photo Uncovered

**UPDATED**

Politico is reporting on a recently uncovered photo of Bill Clinton and Rev. Jeremiah Wright:

The recent coverage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright has often cast him as a marginal, almost fringe figure, but Trinity Church is a major Chicago institution, and Wright has long been a prominent pastor on the American scene.

And an anonymous blog set up to defend his church offers some compelling photographic evidence of this: A photograph of Wright and President Clinton, which it says was taken on September 11, 1998 -- the date of a White House gathering for religious leaders.

Hillary Clinton, according to her recently-released schedule for the day, was present at the gathering.

That's where Clinton reportedly told the assembled clerics, at the depth of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, that he had "repented."

Clinton Campaign Statement:

Less than 48 hours after calling for a high-minded conversation on race, according to the New York Times the Obama campaign is peddling photos of an occasion when President Clinton shook hands with Reverend Wright. To be clear, President Clinton took tens of thousands of photos during his eight years as president.

Obama Campaign Statement:

After their top surrogates pushed this story line and Senator Clinton's campaign outlined this as a central strategy in her plan to overturn the will of Democratic voters, I can see why they wouldn't want such a photo out there that shows the respect even President Clinton has for Reverend Wright.

Comments

[GhostintheMachine]

You gotta love it, Obama and Clinton, all the fighting going on is just building the lead for McCain.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Or not.

[tkk]

Then Obama should drop out. Obviously, the man is not electable. He hates America.

[LorettaSingbiel]

Oh McCain's turn is coming! Since YOU'RE so interested in pushing the "pastor" propaganda, Google pastor JOHN HAGEE ... the man who McCain actively sought support from, appeared on stage with, and introduced as an ally. I'm sure you'll find his anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, and anti-Gay rants rather revolting reading. (But then again...perhaps you would EMBRACE everything paster John Hagee has, and is, preaching?)

Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta

[sjl106]

obama pushing this photo is just pathetic, talk about a rookie. a photo op is equivalent to 20 years of embracing into your soul hate, bigotry, and anti-americanism? I don't think so. Obama your stupid grow up!

[jsomerville5]

How is the Obama campaign pushing this picture pathetic ? It was the Clinton campaign, after all, that "pushed " the photo of Obama in African garb.

It also goes to show that Wright has been embraced by the mainstream for years, and including by the Clintons. You can be sure that if the Clintons considered Wright - who was a well known figure at the time - a "racist bigot" (Gerry Ferraro's words) back in 1998, you can be damn sure Wright wouldn't have been invited to the White House. Remember, this was a carefully chosen group of ministers who were invited to the White House because of the Lewinsky scandal. You think they didn't check Wright's background first ? I suspect that those who are protesting this photo and are defensive are Clinton supporters who don't like to see the shoe on the other foot.

[bossjimgettys]

We can only hope that Obama's campaign will finally begin to tap into the motherlode of slime that the Clintons have provided us with. HRC has fought a filthy campaign and this needs to be exposed for the good of the country. She provides no inspiration, only a show of raw ambition the likes of which I have never seen injected into a primary. Now we learn that an ex-Clinton ambassador was consular affairs chief at the time of the illegal snooping into Obama's passport files! What an amazing coincidence!Does anyone still have any doubt that there is NOTHING too low for her campaign to embrace? After all the rightful hatred for Karl Rove expressed on this site over the years, Clinton is using the very same tactics as Rove, this is somehow perfectly okay? Just how blind, deaf and dumb does a Clinton supporter have to be at this point?

Where are her tax returns?

Where is the Clinton lIbrary donor list?

Where are her White House files?

Obama's campaign needs to ask these questions every. single. day. between now and the next primaries!

And slj needs to explain how he/she/it knows what is inside Obama's soul.

[RobertaInCT]

Was this picture take before or after Clinton joined Rev. Wright's church?

[GhostRider07]

So what.....Wright came with many other religious leaders and then made fun of Clinton in his pulpit on that video that was shown all around.....speaks volumes about Wright and how a snake in the grass Wright is. Also, David Axelrod should be fired. Trying to lump Clinton in with Wright is sad and really desparate. I am not voting for Obama which I had already but these tactics are really telling me he part of the same Washington problem.

[Mattie]

Oh my god, how desperate is Obama, so Clinton ran into someone in a crowded room, is that the same thing as listening to a hate monger and supporting him as your mentor for 20 years. Does Bill have a book coming out that is dedicated to this racist. It's laugh out loud funny, and maybe "typical" of the Obama campaign!

[missjabez]

64 kid, I'm convinced "The Clintons have been keeping their mouths shut" because they are the ones who leaked the videos of Wright's sermons to the press. By keeping quiet, they look respectful and as if they are taking the high road. They are such hypocrites.

[VespaGirl]

They're also keeping quiet because Hillary has her own kooky religious group:

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/09/hillarys-prayer.html

[pleeezzze]

Kooky ?? is that what you call Wrights religion ??? I don't think so !!!

[Kreskytim]

Well I'm glad you're "convinced" missjabez.. Don't let facts get in the way of your beliefs.
It is well established that reporters unearthed the videos months ago.
I noticed a few post up that someone else was also convinced that the Clintons released the photo of Obama in African garb...also not true.
What's also not true is that Obama and his campaign have not taken the high road. They have trashed the Clinton at every opportunity while pretending to be above it all. That's hypocrisy.
Saying you're one thing but doing something else. I guess Obama fans just want to believe that Barack and his team couldn't possibly play dirty because they think he's better than real politicians. Well they are not.

[gwhizz]

"Leaked"
That's hilarious. Wright's sermon videos have been freely available all along.

[missjabez]

The Clintons are such hypocrites. Is Bill Clinton going to come out and "reject and denounce" Rev. Wright after meeting him 10 years ago in the White House? And for the record, I don't think Wright is a psycho demon;it's just convenient for the Clinton crooks to portray him that way. It's all part of their scheme to portray Obama as a Scary Guy.

[MKWrites2]

That looks like a photo of Wright meeting Clinton at some gathering. How is that the same thing as sitting in someone's church for 20 years?

[libertad]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest that Wright is in the White House. Youtube has a whole slew of his sermons (not just the most shocking soundbites that have been replayed over and over), and in spite of how he's been portrayed, he seems like a thoughtful and kind person. We need to stop using this man in an attempt to smear people.

[julescator]

Remember this Wright smear campaign is Hillary's only chance. She knew she could play us like a cheap piano. Here is something to read:

AUSTIN, Texas -- It might not be politic to say so.

But I'll grant that racial undercurrents have swayed voters weighing Sen. Barack Obama against Sen. Hillary Clinton in their fray to face Republican Sen. John McCain for president.

Now I wonder if racial differences will fuel the Democrats' face-off the rest of the way.

I was driving in East Texas in February when I heard someone on the radio say Clinton might need to exploit racism to beat Obama in the Texas primary. By that time, Obama had become the Democratic frontrunner by winning a pile of states in a row.

Melinda Henneberger, a former Texas newspaper reporter and contributing writer to Slate.com, told an XM Satellite Radio channel: "The only scenario ... I see for her is, is her next firewall racism? I mean, I hate to say it, but I covered Texas for a long time. And my friends I talk to down there say you can't throw a rock without hitting a racist.

"Not that that's Hillary's hope, but that's how she's going to win there if she has a chance."

The writer hammered a stereotype: In Texas, the race card works. Her interviewer didn't object.

[natasyenehc]

wright It's not the picture dumbos...it's about the fact that Wright was invited to the White House and got to meet the President - will the Hilary Camp stop being so childish and silly by claiming that Bill didn;t know who he was meeting...

Hilary gets worse in our eyes with every passing day - I can't believe that once supported her candidacy.

[Elliott32]

THE CLINTONS GOT BUSTED. And a diarist on Daily Kos found the entire speech of that mash up edited and YouTube'd by FOX NEWS pinheads.

ENTIRE SERMON: Rev. Wright in God Damned Context
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/20/224958/631/841/481227

[ironmonkeyfist]

So all this time I was led to believe the Rev. was a racist extremist. So I got curious and went snoping around to see the full sermon from which the controversial statements came from. After seeing the full sermon on "Daily Kos" my heart sank. I fell for the media hype. Once you hear the whole sermon in context and you find out the origin of the 'God damn America' statement, you will probably have some second thoughts. You may find his style and words harsh but it's not what the media (Fox) wants you to see

These are the Urls to the sermons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMbeVQj6Lw

I feel pretty bad for falling for the media trap

[GhostintheMachine]

I am definitely not a Clinton fan but I have to raise the flag, this is utterly ridiculous. A picture? Bill Clinton probably didn't even know who the guy was, much less anything about his beliefs. Unless they can show a deeper connection, this is just a ploy by the Obama campaign to take heat off him.

[jsomerville5]

Bill Clinton did indeed know who Jeremiah Wright was at the time. Wright was a well known figure from Illinois, where as you might recall, Mrs. Clinton was from. I believe she had something to do with the choice of pastors who attended the meeting.

Sour grapes here from Clinton supporters ! Boy are they mad they got busted !

[maggieb]

And....

[GAArmyWife]

The issue is...if he was respected enough to be invited to the White House TWICE he probably isn't some crazy anti-american, radical, racist. Which explains why Obama would stay in the church.

[samandally]

So what, Once again a stupid headline for sensationalism. Wow, Bill shook his hand, but he didn't call him his mentor or sit for 20 years listening to the man spew hate and racism.And I don't care if the sermon was a snippet, it is disgusting and racist.

[nohat]

Hang on, everyone.
There will be more.
They just want to circulate this one, let everyone say that Bill standing with Jeremiah is nothing compared to Obama attendng Jeremiah's church for 20 years. is that it?, etc.
There will be more. It's a method often used. Put out something that makes uyou look petty, wait for people to say how LAME you are, then put out the killer photo. They do it here in the UK all the time.
Also, wait for something in Bill and Hillary's pastor.
If the candidates would just stick to the issues and stop gloating when the other guy gets in trouble, they wouldn't have to be embarrased later on.

[PhDiva]

The Obama campaign is not trying to smear Hillary Clinton. It is trying to reveal that Rev. Wright is not some fringe psycho, but a well-respected religious figure who was considered significant enough to be invited to the white house. It's a legitimate point. I think this was a smart move.

[meese]

Exactly - Rev. Wright, despite his theatrics, was a well-respected preacher across the country, and him being invited to White House is a testament to that.

This is actually a way of providing testimony to the fact that Rev. Wright is not "hateful" as the media has portrayed him, but rather just a fiery preacher, one who was well-liked and had the respect of the White House.

[McHenry]

The photograph of Bill Clinton at the "I'm sorry for lying about Monica prayer breakfast which Hillary attended is further evidence that "guilt by association" is unfair. Bill Clinton invited Rev. Wright to the White House as well as many other religious leaders that he respected. The fact Clinton didn't know of and surely would not have supported some of Rev. Wright's inflammatory comments doesn't take away from the fact he obviously endorsed the views of Rev. Wright of which he knew.

Obama has already condemned and made absolutely clear he does not endorse some of Rev, Wrights views. More important as it is rare Obama told us why he condemned them. And there is no evidence either in word or deed during the course of Obama's entire life that he has every endorsed such views. Despite these facts it is not enough for some people.

Many of us have children who say and do things we don't like and condemn. However that doesn't mean we don't also recognize that this does not define who they are in their totality. Many of us don't like many aspects of America's foreign policy. However, although we may condemn those policies that doesn't mean we disown our country. Complexity may not make for good political copy but it is essential to providing leadership for a better America.

Obama has met this test. No matter how much Clinton may fan the flames of this controversy in order to convince wavering Superdelegates that this "guilt by association" makes Obama unelectable will not change the fact that again and again Obama has risen to demostrate the strength of convictions. Although he never claimed to be or is perfect. Whether it be to oppose a war when the overwhelming political consensus was for war. Or to just condemn Rev. Wright without providing the context and creating an opportunity to push the country forward on the difficult issue of race; something which most Americans do not want to discuss. Obama has not taken the easy way out. He's never treated voters like they were stupid.

In contrast the continued mantra of lies, distortions and political calculus practiced by the Clinton campaign rings hollow. The "vetted" candidate won't release her tax returns and other records so she can be vetted. The "experienced" candidate has three years less in elected office than Obama. Who also has experience on both the State and Federal level. She has introduced or co sponsored less legislation in the Senate than Obama and counting legislation he is identified with on the State level his legislative accomplishments clearly drawf hers. The candidate that claims her husband's Presidency was practically a Co-Presidency refuses to accelerate the release of all the records necessary to prove this claim and the ones which have been released cast doubt on some aspects of this claim. The candidate that agreed to abide by the DNC rules in regard to Michigan and Florida wants to overturn them. The candidate that voted for the war is now against the war. And on and on, etc.

Time for a change. Time for a real change. Time to relegate both the Clintons and McCain/Bush to the past and let our generation that will have to support all these Baby Boomers and the huge national debt they created select a candidate we believe in. Time for Obama