Andrew Sullivan: Obama Must Disown Wright

The Atlantic:

I guess I am late to the party, am I not? I didn't watch Jeremiah Wright's National Press Club performance live this morning, as every other blogger seemed to. Wright is not on the ticket of any major party, he is not Barack Obama, and I'm not going to be baited into making this campaign about him, or the boomer cultural racial obsessions that so many want this vital election to be about.

But then I actually read what he said.

Read the whole story: The Atlantic

Comments

[Sabreen60]

I just heard Sen. Obama speak and answer questions. I don't know who else may have felt the way I did, but I felt empathy and sympathy for him. Obviously, Rev. Wright meant a lot to him. Sen. Obama said he was angry and sad. In my life I have had to turn away from very good friends that I have cared deeply about, because they engaged in activities that I didn't agree with and/or had philosophies about core issues that I was against. It hurts. I am sure this was very hard for Sen. Obama. I think Rev. Wright may have served as a father image. Obama called him a uncle. As someone who lost a parent at a young age, I know how important it is to fill that hole that is your life. My prayers are with Sen. Obama.

[speakingtruth2power]

You are far nicer and more sincere than many who are posting their vitriol here.

[MaeScott]

Wright just fell on his sword for Obama...because the brouhaha WASN"T going to go away. He didn't all of a sudden "get crazy" , he monopolized the airwaves so you could see he made LOTS of sense ..to some people anyway...and then he pulls a Hillary and changes overnite. He just fell on his sword. Obama can now truly distance himself and the whole world gets to see it.

[SubparDude]

:

No matter who wants this nonsense to be The Issue in November, they will see a race with Obama next to McCain, and the obvious choice will be Generational. Yes, GENERATIONAL.

Not race, not religion. Look for the contrast in generations to startle America back to The Issues: War, Money, Oil and Medicine. The differences on these four topics will Dominate The Fall.


:

[Calinative]

Why has the media latched onto the "Chickens coming home to roost" comment?
Is it the phrasing or the concept?
The CIA calls it "blowback". Ron Paul called it something else.
So a crazy black preacher calls it "chickens coming home to roost." So what? It doesn't make the concept any less true.

[Stew118]

Actually he was quoting the Reagan ambassador to Iraq- a White Republican. It was the q & a with anonymous questions coming from who knows where (republicans be sure) that was destined to fail and his performance i.e. dancing and whooping about as the "moderator" asked the questions? What a joke he made himself into...

[hjo4]

Why has the media latched onto the "Chickens coming home to roost" comment?

Malcom X made that statement when President Kennedy was murdered.The media and some Americans went ape shit and lost it completely.Malcom X was deemed a traitor and terrorist to the country that was oppressing him and people.But that didn't matter, it was his statement that "what you give, comes back to you" or "the chickens coming home to roost" that damned him for many to this day.He like Dr.King was elevated to what they are today AFTER their murders, while they were alive they both were thought of as the Rev.Wright and worse in their day.

[Vantunow]

He did.

Next question.

[chronic]

You don't get it.

See this will not be enough for the press. They want to see action and blood.

The press will destroy Obama. Clinton and McCain will be left standing and then the destruction of Hillary will begin.

Thus setting the stage for another right wing maniac holding the American flag being propt back into the White House by the corporate and military industrial complex e$tablishment.

[barackaide]

certainly looks like the plan doesn't it.

[kylie]

The "press will destroy Obama" only if we let them.

Let's challenge the "press" to cover real issues this week.

Remember, economy, jobs, the war in Iraq, education, health care ?

Stop giving the media an audience to their "circus" and they will be forced to cover "real" issues.

[NABNYC]

Andrew Sullivan is a Republican. Why would any Democrat listen to his advice? Particularly this silliness.

How much time do we really expect to have the candidates jumping through silly hoops? Reject. Reject and renounce. It just goes on, and it is absurd. To me it feels like the white public is demanding that Obama attack another black man just so the white folks will feel comfortable -- like Obama really is on "our" side against all those angry black people who keep saying they have been treated unfairly and things must change.

Why don't we ask McCain to reject and renounce murder? Why not, every time he opens his mouth, ask him how many people he killed dropping bombs from airplanes, how many people in Iraq he wold like to see murdered.

Why don't we ask Hillary Clinton how many people in Iraq she would like to see murdered, how many in Iran?

No, no time for serious issues like murder, war. Instead we have the silly task of demanding one black person denounce another. Obama should simply reject this nonsense and go back to his campaign. Everyone who supports this anti-Rev. Wright hate-campaign should be ashamed of themselves.

[LeBelAge]

Obama should denounce Wright when Andrew Sullivan denounces being a conservative gay man. His views and support of conservatism are what helped get this country in this mess, not Obama's pastor.

[NABNYC]

The more I think about it, Obama should denounce Andrew Sullivan.

[Bluesage]

Schizophrenia is now setting in on the Obama supporters. For a month now they have been adamantly supporting the great Rev. Wright and all the hateful, racist things he has said and they have found nothing to fault him on even after the last few crazy preacher days. Ooops!! Now Obama is saying this is not the man he's known for more than two decades - all of a sudden the Rev. Wright has gone bonkers. Obama now just wants to put this behind him and move forward and cannot be responsible for anything the man says from now on. Oh, OK, sure, no problem Obama. Obama is a liar and cannot be trusted with the nomination. He cannot win. Thank God Hillary did not fold when all you freaks were screaming for her to get out of this race.

[sugarmoes]

"....ohhhh­hhhhhhh... i remember distinctly three or four times sharing in public now how the bullets where whizzing over mine and chelsea's heads...."

wright acted downright crazy yesterday. he went over the line.

therefore obama is denouncing him today.

good idea.

yesterday was when wright went over the line in my eyes too.

[SpinCycleRadio]

Wright is the quintissential loose cannon. Frankly as long as he stayed with his prepared statement he was insightfull and acceptable. Then they had to open it up to questions from the audience, and the press tossed up some baited questions. That's when Wright lost it. He played to get a reaction from the crowd (just as he would from the pulpit) without thinking about how it would get played out in the national media and (yet again) be snipped up into little pieces on YouTube.

So if I were advising Obama I would suggest he say the following:

"Over many years as a community organizer and even as a State Senator I could ignore many of Pastor Wright's occasional rants and tirades because of my friendhips with the parishoners at Trinity, my respect for the great work that they were doing in the community, and that the broad scope of his teaching was different. Now as a presidential candidate I find that I must be very specific about how i disagree with those statements.....(and then he should indeed get specific and detailed about how he disagrees)

If I read him right then Wright will respond in in essence a long distance debate will develop, one in which it will not be hard for Obama to come off as the sensible one. At the same time the focus of the story will become not about how much Obama agrees with his pastor but how much he disagrees with him.

[MNmommy]

From Sullivan's column:

"This was a calculated, ugly, repulsive, vile display of arrogance, egotism, and self-regard"

Um excuse me, but Pot, meet Kettle.

What right thinking liberal gives a flying rat's rear what Sullivan has to say?

[sugarmoes]

unfortunately he's right this time. wright was acting crazy yesterday.

[MaeScott]

Key word--acting crazy. He's no more crazy than you or me..well, at least me. Don't you get it?

[nixau]

I didn't know Obama owned Wright. Wright's statement's are nearly identical to Ron Paul, another "America Hater" who makes a lot more sense than the "America is always right" crowd.

[qdog112]

Some feel Rev. Wright's "anguish at this moment in history is tiny compared with the importance of electing Barack Obama."

An argument can be made on the flip side. Is Barack's run more important than addressing the raw race issue that we all knew would emerge sometime during this election cycle or the next or the next.The burden of proof rests with America after Wright's indictment. The ball is in our collective court. Will America answer Wright or kick the ball down the road?

I also see this as a challenge to Barack's theme of change. If he is truly represents new thought, then he will not disown Wright as he is being called to do. That would be the conventional act. I feel he has done enough and those who REFUSE too distinguish Barack from Wright, never will. It's their choice.Those who WILL not, will not out of bigotry and no degree of separation is effective.

Barack's campaign will deal with this situation without Barack playing the game, but rather changing it. The temptation is great for a public beheading of Rev. Wright. Free thinkers know that such a transparent act will be viewed as purely political and make Barack just another politician. In the end, it's his call and he has to live with the consequences.

Will Barack, blood-stained saber in one hand, Wright's severed blood dripping head in the other, really help him? I for one hope we never find out.

[Bluesage]

Well, gdog 112, looks like Obama is just another opportunist and lying politician. He's got that bloody head in his hand as we speak.

[EngineerBill]

This is Andrew Sullivan's latest comment about Obama and Wright. It is titled "Obama divorces Wright"

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/04/obama-divorces.html

[rollingdivision]

20 years, 20 years and something happened, suddenly Wright changed almost overnight. It's not believable. There are videos, writings, audios, church bulletins which all show Wright has been spewing the same stuff for decades. Either Obama is one of the most unaware people on this earth or he's a flat out bald face fibber. Come on let's be honest for a little bit. Obama went to Wright's church and knew exactly the sorts of stuff Wright was preaching. Wright has been preaching the same stuff for years, it's documented and the church chose to publicize Wright's stuff. Obama agreed with Wright at least enough to keep bringing himself and his family back for more for over 20 years. Hey there are millions who believe what Wright preaches. Now, it's bit him in the butt. So, he's making up the most plausible story to cover up the truth. Man, this is gonna cost him.

[Countdown09]

Mr. Sullivan I think I remember you being a christan ? If I am correct, I'm puzzled why a christan would make such a suggestion as -- throwing one's friend under the bus.