Meet The (White) Man Who Inspired Wright's Controversial Sermon

Meet the man who inspired Reverend Jeremiah Wright's now famous tirade about America's foreign policy inciting the terrorist attacks of September 11.

His name is Ambassador Edward Peck. And he is a retired, white, career U.S. diplomat who served 32-years in the U.S. Foreign Service and was chief of the U.S. mission to Iraq under Jimmy Carter -- hardly the black-rage image with which Wright has been stigmatized.

In fact, when Wright took the pulpit to give his post-9/11 address -- which has since become boiled down to a five second sound bite about "America's chickens coming home to roost" -- he prefaced his remarks as a "faith footnote," an indication that he was deviating from his sermon.

"I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday," Wright declared. "He was on Fox News. This is a white man and he was upsetting the Fox News commentators to no end. He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, that what Malcolm X said when he got silenced by Elijah Muhammad was in fact true: America's chickens are coming home to roost."

Wright then went on to list more than a few U.S. foreign policy endeavors that, by the tone of his voice and manner of his expression, he viewed as more or less deplorable. This included, as has been demonstrated in the endless loop of clips from his sermon, bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki and nuking "far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye."

"Violence begets violence," Wright said, "hatred begets hatred, and terrorism begets terrorism."

And then he concluded by putting the comments on Peck's shoulders: "A white ambassador said that yall, not a black militant, not a reverend who preaches about racism, an ambassador whose eyes are wide open and is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice... the ambassador said that the people we have wounded don't have the military capability we have, but they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them... let me stop my faith footnote right there."

Watch the video (the relevant material starts around the 3:00 mark):

Story continues below

So it seems that while Wright did believe American held some responsibility for 9/11, his views, which have been described as radically outside the political mainstream, were actually influenced by a career foreign policy official.

Who is Peck? The ambassador, who has offered controversial criticism of Israeli policy in the West Bank but also warned against the Iraq War, was lecturing on a cruise ship and was unavailable for comment. But officials at Peck's former organization, the Council for the National Interest, a non-profit group that advocates reducing Israel's influence on U.S. Middle East policy, offered descriptions of the man.

"Peck is very outspoken," said Eugene Bird, who now heads CNI. "He is also very good at making phrases that have a resonance with the American people. When he came off of that Fox News, a few days later he said they would never invite me back again."

And what, exactly, did Peck say in that Fox News interview that inspired Wright's words?

Here are some quotes from an appearance the Ambassador made on the network on October 11, 2001, which may or may not have been the segment Wright was referring to. On the show, Peck said he thought it was illogical to tie Saddam Hussein to the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and that while the then-Iraqi leader had "some very sound and logical reasons not to like [the United States]," he and Osama bin Laden had no other ties.

From there, Peck went on to ascribe motives for what prompted the 9/11 attacks. "Stopping the economic embargo and bombings of Iraq," he said, "things to which Osama bin Laden has alluded as the kinds of things he doesn't like. He doesn't think it's appropriate for the United States to be doing, from his perspective, all the terrible things that he sees us as having been doing, the same way Saddam Hussein feels. So from that perspective, they have a commonality of interests. But they also have a deeply divergent view of the role of Islam in government, which would be a problem."

Comments

[Gibbons]

I fail to see a connection for Islam's hatred of Israel and the bombing of Hiroshima since that hatred has been going on for more than fifteen hundred years. We have been called "the great satan" by some in the middle east because of our support of Israel. This only proves that there people of all races with wild theories.

[nerakami]

Why did it take Huffingtonpost so long to share this with the rest of us? Fox News got it and took what they wanted from it to do their tactics of divide and conquer. We are subjected to what is on the TV and other media outlets, and those in the media who has a sense of right and wrong are obgligated to the public to try and keep things balanced and TRUE. We depend on you for that, that's why we come here!!!!!!! I am very upset that they have destroyed this man's reputation by painting him as a hater, when only a few minutes after the objectionable comments were the words, now these are not my comments...these things aren't being said by a black preacher but by a past Ambassador to the USA. This is just wrong on so many levels and I myself fell really bad for waht has been done to the Rev. Wright. Why is the truth so hard to find in America?

[dolphy]

barriosbabe See Profile I'm a Fan of barriosbabe

Did you really listen? Wright goes on to imply that the damning position is wrong and that instead the correct response to 9/11 is personal reflection and private closeness to god. When will this story be told correctly? Heaven help us! Heaven help us.________________________________________No,
I was not talking about the sermon. I'm talking about what the US government did the last 60 years like supporting dictatorships around the world (Haiti, Philippines, Guatemala, Iran, Iraq, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and on and on), toppling democratically elected governments, suppressing economic advancement of third world population to benefit corporations, ruining of the environment through economic agreements, pursuing undeclared wars in Vietnam, Central and South America, Africa, Middle East and everywhere else, resulting in death of millions of civilians and misery around the world. those are just a few examples.

[jnratliff]

The reichwing media has been taking things out of context for a long time now.
The media used to have to do a certain amount of there programing be public service. They had to show what they were going to do in the public good.
Now they have gotten the congress and the senate to change the rules and laws so now they don't really do any public service everything is for profit. Now there is nothing wrong with profit but overwhelming greed is something else and that brings us to the point we are today.
Greed rules in the government in America and we need to change this now.

[editrix66]

Last night, after reading this article, Erika Yancy's post about her church, and the CNN blog that discussed the sermons, I tried to find out if the news channels were reporting on this. CNN did a segment, but of course did a talking head segment (with Roland and Bay Buchanan) rather than a real report, so rather than discussing the fact that CNN screwed up, they still rehashed the text of Wright's words and whether they were "real theology," "patriotic," etc. I know Roland is trying, but perhaps he should go on another show, where they will discuss the media and their role. Also, they said they have been trying to find Peck's appearance on Fox after 9/11 and couldn't find it yet. This is ridiculous.

[Toonbytes07]

After watching the entire Wright sermon that was called into question, I am ashamed that I ever gave its condemnation credence. The news media should be ashamed of itself. It isn't just Fox News spreading this distortion, it is all the networks. I can now FULLY understand why Obama stood by his pastor and commend him.

[peterg76]

The reason people are so emotional is because they know he makes a valid point.

[Miket53]

Classic "blame America first". Muslim extremists hate all westerners. They have proclaimed for many years(and long before Bush) that their goal was to kil westerners. That means everyone and with no compromise. Therefore when someone crashes a plane into buildings on US soil the people flying the planes and those who planned are at fault...not the US. Part of being a rational human being is not having a goal to kill everyone because they are "westerners". People need to be held accountable. Arguments like these would be equivalent to blaming a victim for leaving $1,000 of cash on a table in view of a window. Can't blame the robber...it was just lying there and the victim should have hid the money. Totally different scale but the same reasoning.
http://mtaricani.blogspot.com/
Mike

[freneticd]

To examine the history and causes of terrorism is not neccessarily the same as excusing it or justifying it, just as looking into the social and economic roots of crime does not make criminals innocent of all wrongdoing. However, while their may be elements of revenge in Al Quaeda's actions, their mindset is similar to that of the extreme religious right factions of America and Israel(for the record, I'm Jewish and support the state of Israel's right to exist, in case someone want to yell "anti-semitism!"). History cannot be turned back, and the attempts to reestablish feudalism and patriarchal monarchies are, I believe, doomed in the long run. However, the attempts of extremists to do so can cause untold misery and death. What disturbs me about Rev. Wright's statements is their similarity to Warch Churchill's (although they don't get anywhere near the level of absurdity and insensitivity of Chuchill's). The Islamic fundamentalists are not anti-capitalist anti-imperialist warriors by any stretch of the imagination, and the whole Bush/bin Laden/Saudi-Wahabi Sect mess shows this clearly. With regard to wealth, property, privelege, the hatred and subodination of women, the punishment by death of heresy, defiance, sexual deviance and adultery, and to the establishment of theocracy, they are remarkably similar to their Judeo-Christian counterparts. While few of the educated leaders of the western fundamentalists are willing to kill and die, and most do not openly advocate terrorism, their ideology gives a morale boost to the even more fanatical lower-class extremists of the far right. Witch Hunters, Wife Beaters, Cross Burners and Queer Bashers are encouraged by their wealthier and more sophisticated leaders.

I do applaud Senator Obama for not immediately trying to deny his own past radicalism and association with Wright. Unfortunately, intelligent and complex responses to difficult questions don't go over well with the TV audience. I consider Farrakhan to be the more reprehensible and dangerous association in any case.

[totalliberal]

If you really wish to understand why this is all happening now look to the past a little. Howard Beale is the anti-O'Reily and Paddy Chayefsky was 30 years ahead of his time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI2lkYxpUFs

[JudeLaure]

Have you seen this longer version of the Jeremiah Wright video? It seems that Jeremiah Wright's supposed rant was actually him quoting Ambassador Edward Peck, a former Reagan administration official. This was not indicative of any anti-American bias.

Please review and share with friends and family.

http://208.65.153.253/watch?v=j4RLONpTzEE

[TriciaFromCharlotteNC]

How could Wright have been referring to an INTERVIEW THAT HADN’T HAPPENED YET?

He was NOT QUOTING the Ambassador and frankly if the Ambassador, OUR Ambassador had ever said anythigngremotely close, don't you think we'd have heard it by now? Since 2001?

Regardless of the reasoning behind it, it reflects hatred, racism and Anti-Americanism.
AND CHILDREN HEAR THIS SAME HATE.

The video clips are not the only things that Obama has been in that reflects racism and Anit-Americanism to me.

If there was nothing wrong, why did the church take off the Mission statement, 12 point Black Value system and the 10 point Black Vision statement off their site.

Why does Obama keep making things disappear, as well...including the Reverend?

[bellabella9]

I would like to correct you, Peck was with the Carter Administration. You should have known ; the very last thing Reagan would have sense enough to say is "violence begats violence", etc. Reagan was a war monger!!

[knerd]

I salute the Rev. Wright, the Ambassador-Diplomat Peck and anyone else who stands up to speak truth to power. Yeah, yeah--I know that's a trite phrase these days, but the powers and principalities are blind and evil--and blind to their own evil.

http://www.chris-floyd.com/

How many tables in the Temple have YOU tipped over today?

[sweatybronson]

This article is assuming that there is only one 'controversial' comment from Pastor Wright. This is false.

It's a fallacious straw-man of an argument.

Yelling 'God Damn America,' claiming that the government intentionally infected blacks with AIDs...well, that sort of stuff has gotten a lot more airplay from the networks than "chickens coming home to roost."

Don't fallate this stuff away...it keeps us from being able to tackle the issue productively.

[MARI200]

Obama's people need to put this out there....to the media, other than FOX./ They have already
shown they will only spin what goes against Obama, whether true or not.

[Sabreen60]

Obama is between a rock and hard place. If he continues to respond to the race baiting then he will be seen by some whites as the "black" candidate. If does not respond then the race baiters will continue to be the only voices heard. It's the same thing with responding to negative ads. If he responds, then he is accused of not running the positive campaign that he said he would run. If he doesn't respond then the negative ads go unanswered and that's all the people will hear. I think he is in a very difficult position. But I think he's the man who can handle it. I give him props for maintaining his cool under this kind of pressure.

[llgarrity]

Thank you Huffington Post for providing readers with the true context for Rev. Wright's speech. Until now, Roland Martin of CNN was the only other journalist investigating the whole truth about his speeches. Hopefully, investigative reporting will begin to return to the media instead of just sound bites and biased clips.

[ashen]

Nice! Tables in the temple -- I agree knerd.

[hungrycoyote]

I just read an article in a UK paper online titled:

John McCain told to dump spiritual guide in row over "war" on Islam.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3548250.ece

I'm just wondering why I have to read this over at the UK. Why isn't the US media covering the McCain/Parsley story the way the covered the Obama/Wright story?

[armadillious2002]

Because repub CEO's are in charge of all the MSM. They protect their own.

[ObamaSuperDelegate]

Free ride, and they never scrutinize the GOP like they do the Dems on these issues. It''s racial politics and most of the media are White. They won't make themselves look bad but have no problem making others look bad

[KiwisCanFly]

Thanks hungrycoyote,
I read the link and it reinforces my opinion that the Rev. Wright controversy is a mountain out of a mole hill incident. That the anti Obama folk will find the exception to fit their ill-informed perspective regardless of any contradictory information.
I am more interested in how HRC is getting away with her big fat lie about her Bosnia trip!!!
No-thanks to the MSM for their one sided commentary.

[littlequeenie]

because McCain was a white POW and therefore an American hero and Obama is black.
Disgusting isn't it?

Last I heard was that one of the things that made this country so great was the fact that we can seriously disagree with its government's policies. Unfortunately some people still look upon this as treasonous, especially when said by an angry black man.

I am very proud to be an Obama supporter. Each time I hear him speak, I am prouder and more sure of this man. But sometimes I really lose hope because so many people in this country are using Pastor Wright's words to denigrate Obama.
I just had a huge argument with my own mother who will not listen to anything I say either about Obama or against Clinton. This is a woman who has always supported my ideas and has encouraged me to become involved in politics for many years. Now I feel that we finally have a great man to become our President, to "get our country back", and I am being ridiculed as a middle-aged woman trying to recapture my youth and having a crush on a black man. If I were the feminist I have always claimed to be, then I would be supporting Clinton.
I never thought politics would end up ostracizing me from my mother since we have ALWAYS voted the same way.

[maria1253]

Sow her these videos. This will help make up her mind and see FAUX NEWS for the lying crap they are:

GD America
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RvMbeVQj6Lw&feature=related

Chickens coming home
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ

[indie17]

Hi littlequeenie. Enjoyed your post. I have been fortunate that my 70+ white mother is very pro-Obama. She was originally an Edwards supporter, but she switched to Obama when Edwards dropped out. I feel for you, and it would be quite a stress for me if my mother were acting like yours is. I don't really understand why so many of the older white women are stuck on Clinton. I was personally horrified when it appeared last summer that she would be the nominee. I just don't think Clinton has the character to be leader of the free world.

[tdpubs]

This Easter, I'm reminded of the rabbi who railed against the greedy, the hypocrite's, warmongers, bigots and adulterers was jailed and executed for speaking inconvenient truths. We can hold fast to the truth and sometimes lose the support of our loved ones or follow the easy way.

If your mother taught you to be independent and to think for yourself, you are a feminist. You do not have to vote for someone because they are your own sex, anymore than I have to vote for a brown man because I am brown.

What you've done is exercise your intellect. If you feel that Senator Obama is the one who will do what you feel this country needs to have accomplished, more power to you.

I've said this more than once on this website, I've been waiting for Hillary to be president for years. I would vote for her if the votes were in her favor. I'm supporting Barak Obama because he is waking this country up to its responsibility and citizenship.

We have been lazy for far too long. The conservatives do not want democracy, that puts too much power in the hands of ordinary Americans. They confuse true democracy with communism. They are deathly and irrationally afraid of communism.

They believe in representative government as long as the government is represented by them. Obama on the other hand equals "we the people", Clinton or McCain equal "I, the maternal/paternal leader ".

If the majority of people in this country chooses to vote overwhelmingly for John McCain or Hillary Clinton, it's because they are not ready to grow up and take responsibility for their country.
It is far easier to sit at home and watch TV than to take constructive action to move us forward to collective greatness.

We need to roll up our political sleeves and get to work on repairing this country.
e pluribus unum.

[Zeusthunderbolt]

Great example to practice Senator Obama's message. Littlequeenie, keep your love for her always present. Try to change her mind, without hating her. Try to figure why she supports Hillary? If the answer is based on sexist views, or racism then it would be hard for you to win. Give it up, and give her slack for being the generation that she is. If not , then between now and August you can change her mind. Good luck.

Zeus

[Zeusthunderbolt]

I have a question? How is the current environment in America different then in Nazi Germany? I am sure, if you were not anti semitic you were not German enough. In Saudi Arabia if you are not against the publication of cartoons, you are not Muslim enough. So if we are an evolving Fascist state, does it not stand to reason, that unless you stand up and always say the right patriotic words, the right religious words, you will be prosecuted, your patriotism questioned.

President worship, religious intolerance, nationalism, war mongering, Islam hating ( instead of jews ), corporate love, male superiority, racism ( against Latinos ), complete control of Propaganda apparatus, book burning ( in the name of creationism vs Evolution ) , boycotting public education for private indoctrination, and labeling any dissenting voice as unpatriotic, anti American, taking away personnel liberty by monitoring of personnel communication, taking away the right to defend oneself in against the government, once labeled a terrorist, and world dominance by military force and not the power of ideas, --------------------------------------Is this what is defined as Fascism, or are these just coincidences ? Did Hitler brought this on slowly and Germans never figured it out or did he accomplish his Fascist objectives by revolution ? Did Missoulini changed Italy into a fascist state after gaining power after elections ? Why is it that it will never happen in America?

My answer: How can a democratic ( republic ) turn into a Fascist state, when we defeated fascism, and are fighting fascist Islamic terrorists ?

As soon as Democrats take over, there will be a restoration of the constitution.

So my friend take heart, over time, maybe when our kids are grown, we will see the day when citizens disagreeing with government policies, will not be labeled as traitors.

[Grunty1]

Because we have a "liberal media", obviously!

[MadeinAmericaProud]

You do admit McCain is a liberal.

Is that why we are not receiving both sides of the campaign and only receive 1 second sound bites?.

[wakeupeverybody]

Mr. Stein, I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for this enlighting article. Faux News crew hates Obama so much that they're willing to do anything to TRY and destroy him.

It is so easy to take someone's words out of context. Many of the people that are willing to believe the worst about anyone cannot be Christians, if they were, they would know at least 1 of the 10 commandments, i.e., "Thou shall not kill". People often think that a gun or a knife is what is being referred to in that commandment, but the TONGUE is more deadly that the other two combined. With the tongue you can kill the SPIRIT.

If the spirit is dead would they consider him vetted?

[MadeinAmericaProud]

As Senator Obama stated in his book, "Sin of my Father"

His black father had no business taking a white women for a wife.

for over 70 years black men, women and a few white women were hung for doing just what Sen. Obama father did here in America, Lynching became a family affair. We take the time to google Rev. Wright.

White America bypass the millions of articles of lynchings of over 5000black men, women and children to in pictures of white children boys and girls with their families on lynching of multiply hangings at the same time. These pictures show children smiling at the hanging bodies.

America only has a title united, this nation will never be united when the bloody hand of the whites controlling the voting and all other express powers in most case lies that America is a super power.

[TruthBeTold4us]

This is a good time to mention yet again that Rupert Murdoch, owner of FOX noise, is a Hillary Clinton supporter. He held a fundraiser for her in 2006 that raised $60,000 for her campaign and he and his son both personally donated to her campaign. Check out the sources, this information is true.

My question is - why is this not being reported in the mainstream media? Can this explain FOX's anti-Obama 24/7 that got so bad 1 of FOX's talking heads actually walked off the show? Even Chris Wallace commented about the 2 hour tirade they had just run attacking Obama.

Shouldn't FOX have to run a disclaimer saying the owner of the station is a Hillary Clinton fundraiser?

[StandingStill]

AMEN!!

[MinneapolisBob]

Sen, Obama's organization needs to put together a campaign ad with the video in context, to prove the racist slime machine wrong. Until then, the media will not do anything to disavow the original out of context trash.
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VOTE! And when you do, remember the Supreme Court. We MUST keep our rights, freedoms and liberties in place for the sake OUR nation's future.

[Window]

What was done to Rev. Wright is a travesty. This should be spread far and wide among friends and family and co-workers.

It has already been sent to the MSM, but I doubt they will cover this, as it would make them look like the fools they are.

Peace

[lezlie]

no need for an ad... articles like this and sending this to everyone you know will suffice.
but voting... now there's the important thing!! with our votes we can make Faux News irrelevant and Barack Obama president.

[JDWPS]

Thank you. I hope this and some of the other good clips that are on You Tube get circulated. The situation appears to be the same with all of the bad things that were played over and over. They were a part of a good sermon. The same member has posted a number of Rev.Wright's video clips on You Tube.

[Ramirez]

We can all be more accepting about Rev Wright's words of hate and anger now that we know a typical white person said them first.