Obama's Reverend Wright Press Conference (VIDEO) UPDATE

UPDATE: Watch Obama's First Press Conference as President Elect

Excerpts From Barack Obama's press conference on Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Scroll down for video and read updates from AP here:

I'm outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday. I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992 and have known Jeremiah Wright for almost 22 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but they also give comfort to those that prey on hate and I believe they do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. They certainly do not accurately portray my values and beliefs. If Reverend Wright thinks that is political posturing on my part, he does not know me very well.

I have already denounced those comments that have come out of these previous sermons. I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church, has built a wonderful conversation. They are a wonderful people and what attracted me has always been the ministries reach beyond church walls. But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions, that the U.S. government is involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Louis Farrakhan represents one of the greatest voices of the 21st century, when he equates the United States' wartime effort with terrorism, then there are no excuses. They offend me, they rightfully offend all Americans, and they should be denounced. That is what I am doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.

I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That's in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That's who I am, that's what I believe, and that's what this campaign has been about.

More from Obama's press conference via the New York Times:

"His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church," Mr. Obama said, his voice welling with anger. "They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs."[...]

"I find these comments appalling. It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am."

During Q and A with reporters, Senator Obama was asked why he hadn't reacted this way when he responded to Wright yesterday. The reporter was referring to Reverend Wright's remarks at the National Press Club on Monday (watch video).

I will be honest, I had not seen it yet. ... What I had heard is that he had given a performance and I thought at that time it would be sufficient to repeat what I said in Philadelphia. Upon watching it, what came clear to me was that it was more than just him defending himself. What became clear is that he was presenting a worldview that contradicts who I am and what I stand for. What particularly angered me was his suggestion that my previous denunciation of his remarks was political posturing. Anybody who knows me or what I am about knows that I am trying to bridge gaps and seize the commonality in all people.

Here's some clips from the Q&A session:

---
EARLIER:

Ben Smith reports that Obama is planning a big press conference on Jeremiah Wright:

Obama is asked about Wright by a woman in Winston-Salem who tells the audience to watch his PBS interview, which will quell their concerns.

"I'm going to be having a big press conference afterward to talk about this Obama says, then refers back to a story the woman told about a mother having to borrow month to get to work.

Earlier, Obama addressed Wright's controversial remarks at the National Press Club, saying that "they don't represent my views and they don't represent what this campaign is about.":

"I think certainly what the last three days indicate is that we're not coordinating with him, right?" Mr. Obama said. "He's obviously free to speak his mind, but I just want to emphasize that this is my former pastor. Many of the statements that he has made both to trigger this initial controversy and that he's made over the last several days are not statements that I've heard him make previously. They don't represent my views and they don't represent what this campaign is about."

Comments

[Dots]

12:45 PM on 05/03/2008

This white woman can see Rev. Wright's POV.
What about Obamas policy of TALKING WITH those with whom we [the USA] have a difference?
Did he talk with his own pastor? NO. Obama can't even negotiate peace with his pastor! Good Greif.
[So much for that policy/theory.]
He will have much harder things to deal with in the White House than this rift...and it will have an effect on the future of all of us.

[Atruebeliever]

10:19 AM on 05/03/2008

African-American adults, who generally emerge as the ethnic segment most deeply committed to the Christian faith, were substantially less likely than either whites or Hispanics to have what Barna Research defines as a "Biblical Worldview." In total, just 1 percent of black adults met the criteria, compared to 6 percent among whites and 8 percent among Hispanics.
Among (various groups) examined, only 35 percent of pastors of black churches had a biblical worldview. Another huge gap was based on race. White senior pastors were nearly twice as likely as black senior pastors to have a biblical worldview: 55 percent versus 30 percent, respectively.
Fron Finding Soul Brothers: Dismantling Black Christia Racialism

[pupbayer]

12:16 AM on 05/03/2008

What I don't understand is WHY Obama is outraged NOW? Wright hasn't been saying anything lately different than he did from the first time I heard his name. But NOW Obama is outraged?

[heal57]

02:52 AM on 05/03/2008

I can assure you Obama never heard Rev Wright say black children don't learn the same way white children learn. That's pathetic propaganda. I think Rev Wright has lost whever mind he had at one time. Obama gave him the benefit of the doubt earlier which was the charitable thing to do. Now he has denounced him because of the terrible things Wright has said. I think Wright's jealous of Sen. Obama. We all learn the same given the right opportunities, and not all white hated blacks. There were white people at that church and thiswhite old lady is voting for Obama!

Independents for Obama '08

[epsiloneon]

12:02 PM on 05/03/2008

What happened to you throw family under the bus? Isn't that what Obama said? Sigh I guess Rev Wright was right Obama is nothing but a cheap suited politican.

[ObjectiveViewer]

03:22 AM on 05/03/2008

he is outraged at the circumstances rather than his pastor. His pastor has not changed , he is reiterating what he has been preaching. Obama wants to go to the top of the pyramid, for that he needs blessing of the elite and confirmity to the elite views, which his pastor does not support. How interesting the entire episode, which the media feverishly promotes brings the racist factor into the picture for the benefit of the few , which is getting benefitted for the billionth time. DIVIDE and RULE.

[Dan1967]

09:47 PM on 05/02/2008

CHECK OUT THESE POLL NUMBERS! BARACK OBAMA IS BY FAR THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE AGAINST MCCAIN.

Don't listen to the media spin. Barack does much better then Hillary in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Iowa, Minnesota, and Colorado. Barack is leading McCain in all of those states. Hillary is losing to McCain in all of those states except for Minnesota, where she is tied. Compare and contrast the general election polls at WWW.POLLSTER.COM (type it in if the Link does not work).

VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA AND LETS GET A DEMOCRAT WIN IN NOVEMBER!

[jupitor]

10:09 PM on 05/02/2008

I stop watchingMSNBC and Fox newsand have pretty much stayed with Cnn. Now I lissten to a story with Sidney Poitiea with Larry King Live. I think all Media wants to pick our President for us an sway us one way or another. But I'm sick of hearing about rev. wright! I stop being a T.V news buff and pretty much get my news here. they are by far more fair and balance. Hope is the final tool for the survival of man kind. these are the words of Sidney Poitier at age 81. With out hope, we die is what I add to this for you to read. So with Hillary clinton says Obama only has a speech, than I say to her if the speech comes from the heart and include Hope and change for this here america, than we are in deed rich! Where is her heart and hope for us! Words may be cheap, but we've had dumb policies that have tore us apart. Clintons words are cheap, as she leaves in her wake in every state unpaid bills, and broken promise's To pay her fair share of the campagne that she has so poorly financed.. So I ask all media to stope the Rev. Wright crap now. We've had enough and even Ron Paul on a interview said at this time of the three candidates he would say Obama looked the most favorable!

[Sctt859]

09:11 PM on 05/02/2008

Over 1.5 Million Iraqi Civilians killed.
Over 50,000 Iraqi Children ages (1 - 15) killed.
4000 Us soldiers dead

All 4 OIL...

was reverand wright wrong? Mccain says hes not mccain says we are in the war for oil.

[wayoutleft]

06:41 PM on 05/02/2008

the wright issue won't truly be over until he loses on "dancing with the stars"

[Matt7]

03:37 PM on 05/02/2008

Top Ten Reasons Obama Stayed 20 yrs. BECAUSE:

10…The Audacity to Hope was a powerful sermon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H73WqSj1-aI&feature=PlayList&p=7C19AC20C5E410F8&index=13
Obama heard the Christian gospel thru good old-fashioned preaching from the Word of God, and music that stirred the soul; it was a joy / privilege to learn from one who studies, thinks and preaches deeply and broadly.

9...Obama sought/found something bigger than himself—faith in the love and presence of God. How ridiculous to say he was “trying to affiliate with a big church for ‘street cred’ for when he’d one day run for POTUS.” That’s not why African Americans attend church. Besides, America usually prefers its presidents to be atheists and to not bring God into the equation at all.

8…Obama felt he could be free to be who he is—whether identifying with his White, Black or African heritage. Worshippers include the impoverished/ affluent, uneducated/well-educated, laborer/professional, worshipping side by side. Trinity UCC embraced, affirmed and taught, the value, potential, love, dignity, and respect of ALL people despite race, gender, economic class or creed. INCLUDING Black people—despite how they’ve been conditioned to regard themselves or how they are portrayed to the rest of the world.

7…he saw active ministries; “doers of the Word and not hearers only.” He watched Rev Wright turn the bitterness, frustration and rejection many Blacks experienced every day in America, into understanding, forgiveness, accountability and empowerment to address their issues and society’s ills.

[Matt7]

03:36 PM on 05/02/2008

6…some people hate America. Rev Wright is NOT one of them. Not a demon or saint, just a MAN (dimples and warts) who loves God and his people, recognizing you must name and face a problem before you can address it. He didn’t “pimp” this parishioners, rather he greatly sacrificed to uplift, encourage and empower them.

5…you don’t have to agree with everything a preacher says. They’re not there to entertain or debate you; but to instruct, challenge, chastise and minister to you about and through the Word of God. They themselves are only humans who may falter or fail, whereas the Word does not.

4…the message of a sermon may not be politically correct, but the truth of it can be empowering. A sermon, like medicine, is not always palatable, convenient, or comfortable, but it’s necessary for healing. The stronger or deeper ingrained the dis-ease, the more potent the medicine.

3…education, critical thinking and excellence are strongly encouraged and respected. Rev Wright also modeled the ability to work with and move effectively among thinking whites/Blacks, Jews/Muslims, Protestants/Catholics, professors/students, men/women, adults/children, straight/gay, young/old, educated/uneducated; to respect their differences and make it possible for them to work and reason together.

2…Rev Wright is a prophetic preacher, master teacher, and Biblical scholar, who encouraged Christian principles, educational excellence, personal responsibility, compassion for others; and who taught about acceptance, love, forgiveness and reconciliation. And …

1…Because it was his right to do so.

[Trueheart]

10:27 PM on 05/02/2008

You write really well. But look, if the Right Reverend Wright is such a great scholar..." prophetic preacher, master teacher..." why'd he screw up with his "DEM" as in CONDEMN is the root of the word "DAMN" comment? He doesn't know his Greek or Latin derivatives. He just made it up because it sounded good, and most of his audience just takes his word for that it's true. He's a fabricator who knows that if you state something confidently and assertively, 90% of your audience is going to believe you are speaking truth.

I think he's got a racial identify problem, and he is overcompensating because of it. He's a very light-skinned African American who has probably had a difficult time because he's "not black enough," and because he is "not white enough." And so he became militant to overcome this and establish himself within the African American community.

Go ahead, take my head off, but I think this is more common than we might want to admit.

[Matt7]

11:19 PM on 05/02/2008

Trueheart. Don't want to take your head off. Can't answer your "damn" "condemn" question since I'm not sure of what exactly you're referring to. I will tell you, though, that an "identity crisis" is definitely not Rev Wright's issue. He's very clear about who he is. That's what gets him into trouble sometimes. He's very proud of his heritage and ancestry.

All I can suggest is that even "scholars" and authors like him make mistakes. Also, I know that I'd never want to have to be in the position that he (and ACTUAL presidential candidates) are in; having words parsed to within an inch of their lives, having the meaning of words twisted and spun beyond recognition (e.g. when did the words "politician" and "bitter" get to have such venomous weight?)

The bottom line is that I feel for both of these men (both of whom I've met and have a deep admiration and respect for -- for different reasons). They both love and respect each other (despite how the situation has devolved in the last several days.) It's painful to watch, and painful for many to experience.

Some might ask: So, why then did Rev Wright do what he did, and why did Obama reject Rev Wright if he was so wonderful?

Short 2-part answer: 1) Because they are both HUMAN, after all, and the situation became unbearable. and 2) the media loves to orchestrate demolition derby’s to satisfy America’s bloodlust for a “Jerry Springer” moment.

[reelcobra]

12:36 PM on 05/02/2008

This is a high tech lynching!

Reverend Wright dared to speak truth to power -

**to point out that our government is injecting African Americans with AIDS
**to point out that black kids have different brains than white kids
**to point out that God damnes Amerikka for slavery and defeating the Japanese in WWII

The Reverend was Obama's mentor for 20 years, marrying him, teaching his children about God and Country, and now this.

It was one thing when Obama sacrificed his old white Grandmother to save his campaign.

But this is too much.

We need a third speech.

The first said he wouldn't "disown" Wright.
The second said he was disowning him.

This speech should set the record straight.

And then let's move on to the election this fall with the Reverend on the team!

BHO '08!!

[JohnTalbutt]

11:40 AM on 05/02/2008

Reverend Wright was probably among the minority of honorable people in the room at the National Press Club. But he did say some things that don't square with the facts and others that are divisive or he should know would be used in a divisive way. Was it pride that allowed him to belive he could come out of that room without damage to himself and Obama? Although with some notable exceptions, there were as many professional liars, hostile to him and his message, in that room as you will ever find in one setting.

Obama had no choice but to emphatically separate himself

[ceti]

10:55 AM on 05/02/2008

All this media frenzy attacking Wright is a sight to behold. The baying fury of nameless bloggers and commenters further demonstrates exactly the lynch mob mentality that the poor and disenfranchised of this country have endured for hundreds of years.

America really hasn't come a long way. In fact, the corporate media is just magnifying the same old jingoistic and chauvinistic sentiment, destroying anyone who would dare question the sanctity of the American State that has been elevated to the status of God.

Will America ever apologize to Iraq? It never apologized to Vietnam even as agent orange continues to claim thousands of lives per year in the most gruesome fashion. Wright points out Britain has apologized for slavery, but America? Can it ever look at itself in the harsh light of truth?

Obama has sadly demonstrated his willingness to carry water for these high crimes, erasing the past, by dismissing even its contemporary aftershocks. This is not justice, nor even truth and reconciliation. It is willful blindness to cater to the basest instincts of mainstream America, while pushing blacks and their experiences to the back of the bus. Obama knows better, but he is a politician as Wright confirms. Not a superhero, but just the best choice of a bad lot of warmongers and mad militarists who will hasten the decline and fall of the American Empire with their "March of Folly."

[spotchester]

10:39 AM on 05/02/2008

The guy's a little loony, I'll admit. But he's no more loony than any other preacher trying to sell what amounts to at worst a fairy tale, and at best a set of circumstances that are completely unprovable. The great hypocrisy of Americans...

[Reio2288]

10:13 AM on 05/02/2008

Hello ??? This is NOT repeat NOT about religious beliefs. This is about a man (wright) who uses his position to display and encourage hate of people based on race, gender, religion and hate our country. I do ot associate with such people, yes I'll defend their right to say it, but don't expect me to back a candidate that spent 20 years with a hate monger and then says he didn't know. If this was 1939 and Rev. Wright was white, he'd be the leader of the Nazi church. No matter what you think, THIS IS NOT about religion ...... No God teaches "hate thy fellow man cuzz he's a different skin color"

[ceti]

11:08 AM on 05/02/2008

My god, the lies go down easy with you.

[ebanks84]

08:55 AM on 05/02/2008

There's no way you can tell me that not one pundit or so-called mass media expert has checked into Hillary's religious beliefs and REFUSES TO POST ANYTHING ABOUT IT!

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/ehrenreich

If you can call Obama a cultist, elitist, racist, or anything else you can think of, what in the world will you call Hillary after reading about her religion?

I'm curious!

[dasimms]

09:10 AM on 05/02/2008

Thank you for this link about Hilliary's church affiliation!

[BetterAmerica]

11:38 PM on 05/01/2008

Obama hangs out with this LOONEY TUNE and you want him to be your POTUS?

Come On!

I should email O'Reilly that you only post pro-Obama-that is NOT COOL!

[beachbob]

02:13 AM on 05/02/2008

What's REALLY loonie is that ANY educated 21st-Century American attends any church at all, and that any sane person would vote for someone that is obviously a knave or a fool.

If you are responsible for the abuse of your own children, you are called (rightly) a "bad person."

If you are responsible for the abuse of hundreds of children, you're called a "cult leader."

If you are responsible for the abuse of millions of children, you're called a Pope.

The BS is the same; only the numbers are different. And BTW, that last is not meant as an attack on the Catholic Church; it's an attack on ALL religions, because that's what all religiouns ARE: Death Cults preying (praying) on ignorance and fear.

America -- and the world -- needs leaders who don't believe the snake story (thank you, Bill Maher).
Time to grow up, people, and stop looking to an imaginary father figure.

[ebanks84]

08:50 AM on 05/02/2008

So you think Hillary's religious beliefs are better than Obama's?

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080331/ehrenreich