Obama Pastor Michael Pfleger Apologizes For Mocking Clinton

CHICAGO — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that he was "deeply disappointed" by a supporter's sermon at his church that mocked Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Chicago activist, also apologized for last Sunday's sermon at Obama's church, in which he said Clinton's eyes welled with tears before the New Hampshire primary because she felt "entitled" to the Democratic nomination and because "there's a black man stealing my show."

In video circulating on the Internet, Pfleger said the former first lady expected to win the nomination before Obama's sudden popularity.

"She just always thought that, 'This is mine. I'm Bill's wife. I'm white.' ... And then, out of nowhere, came 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama." And she said, 'Oh damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show,'" Pfleger said at Trinity United Church of Christ.

He then went on to parody Clinton, sobbing and wiping his face with a handkerchief.

"She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying."

Obama won the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the nominating season, in January. Days later, Clinton's eyes brimmed with tears and her voice broke as she talked with New Hampshire voters on the eve of the primary, which she won.

Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" by Pfleger's comments.

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"As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us," he said in a statement. "That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause."

Pfleger, the white pastor of predominantly black Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church on the city's Southwest side, said he regretted his choice of words.

"These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them," Pfleger said.

Clinton's campaign denounced Pfleger's comments.

"Divisive and hateful language like that is totally counterproductive in our efforts to bring our party together and have no place at the pulpit or in our politics," the campaign said in a statement. "We are disappointed that Senator Obama didn't specifically reject Father's Pfleger's despicable comments about Senator Clinton, and assume he will do so."

In March, Pfleger invited Obama's embattled former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to speak at Saint Sabina, embracing Wright in the church.

Obama recently broke with Wright, who had been his longtime pastor, after video of his sermons blaming U.S. policies for the Sept. 11 attacks and his calls of "God damn America" became fixtures on the Internet and cable news networks and created a political problem for the candidate.

Pfleger, known locally as a community activist and organizer, was arrested in June 2007 with the Rev. Jesse Jackson during a protest outside of a south suburban Chicago gun shop. The criminal trespass charges were later dropped.

He also has hosted Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, at St. Sabina and has called him "a gift from God to a sick, sick world."

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Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington contributed to this report.

Comments

[Maya2008]

The father was very entertaining and cool too.

[Redrover666]

As a conservative, I have to say that is is one of the few issues I agree with you on. I hope Pfleger gets a lot more air time.

Not only is he funny but insightful and right on the money when discussing racial issues in America. I think that white America needs to be told forcefully and often what rotten human beings they are.

Right on Pfleger! Keep up the good work!!!

McCain 08

[Maya2008]

Hilary should me mocked. She is making a total fool of herself.

[sandiaview]

Sexism! Please use carefully! I don't think Hillary has a gender problem (totally). She is just not able to organize and run as good a campaign as Obama at this time. It reminds me of Elizabeth Dole when she mismanaged the American Red Cross into the ground. Her first initiative was to cut education benefits and leave time for already underpaid workers. Worker morale went into the toilet. Good people left and then came the tainted blood scandal and millions of donations went missing (unaccounted for). The accounting was all a mess. Then she "announced" that she was leaving to run for the Presidency. Well that evaporated but as a Senator she was given the task of getting Republicans elected to the Senate in 2006. We know how that turned out. I wonder if her husband tried to help her like Bill helped Hillary. So the moral of the story is maybe Hillary, like Libby Dole, is just not up to the job this time. A popular former President and husband along with all of her political capital and she didn't get the nomination. But she did give herself and woman everywhere something to be proud of. She ran a tough acting & sounding race and she looked enthusiastic when there was almost no hope. And for that I am thankful. Only a few people could have done any better.

[kidrips]

Too Late!

[dr4Will]

racists of any color make a mockery of democracy and religion--we are not a sinless society and obviously our religious leaders are not either!!

[sandiaview]

Why is Obama responsible for everything that is whispered out of anybody's mouth even remotely connected to him. Hillary has so many compromised folks in her inner circle that the Republicans are shattered that they may not get to use their material. Obama hasn't said a thing about her and indeed has given her a little too much RESPECT and the media...well you have to slap them with a story unless it involves sex or the Obama's preacher (who is not Muslim). Mc Cain has pastor problems (but until the Hitler tape..not a peep out of anybody), dumb as a stump problems (894 out of class of 898 at Naval Acad., poor student), bluffs his way through any issue, don't know anything about the factions in the Middle East, crashed planes, accidental "hero", left wife for a younger, richer one, anger issues, lobbyist issues, influence peddler, crooked buddy, former Arizona co-chair of Mc Cain Campaign and indicted Arizona Representative issues. If Obama had any of the issues that Camp Clinton or McCain has...well you know the guy would not be allowed within a mile of the men's room at the Capitol.

[GravitonX]

The pastor was right on target. Bravo!

[Maya2008]

ITA!

[iluvsam]

All this talk with regard to racsim makes a previous post of mine more meaningful:

"I was watching the movie 'Amistad' the other day, and everytime I watch that movie, I bawl my head off through the whole thing. There is a scene where John Quincy Adams makes his argument on behalf of the Africans before the Supreme Court, and he asks the Court to think back to the Founders and the principles laid down by them. He asked them to re-capture the spirit of what the patriots believed this country was to stand for and to not fear ruling in the Africans' favor. He made a comment something like, "if civil war comes because of your ruling then so be it. Maybe THAT will be the last great battle fought in the American Revolution." Though crying like a baby, I thought, "No. The historic election of November 2008 will be the last great battle of the American Revolution. Once we win the sexism/racism battle, the war is over, and we will have finally won." As corny as it sounds, it is true."

We have to get over this.

[Redrover666]

That race has become such a huge issue is not a manifestation of our national attitudes on race and equality in America. The serious and alienating racial attitudes that are poisoning Obama's chances are coming from the far left and amongst his very own supporters and friends. That white people have transcended race is evidenced in Obama's success. There is a problem now because there is an element within that insists on saying thank you, while peeing on my leg.

[sky2blue]

Our national attitudes on race and equality in America haven't come all that far. Obama's success? He's had to be "unblack" the whole time. He's had to be sure not to be labeled the "black" candidate. What white candidate has that problem?

If national attitudes on race and equality were where they should be, it wouldn't matter what Farrakhan said about Obama. It wouldn't matter what Pfleger said about Clinton.

And as far as where "equality" stands today, white Americans by and large aren't the ones to ask. They aren't the ones who suffer from inequality.

"And while Mr. Palmer told HELP staff that he recognized that African Americans and Latinos suffer disproportionately from employment discrimination, he could not explain why the section filed almost as many cases alleging national origin or race discrimination against whites as against African Americans and Latinos combined."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/003803.php

[pattyfish]

Why...does everyone have to apologize for what they say in this absurd freak show of an election....
Hey...you said it....you own it.
I am tired of people speaking thier mind then the next day apologizing.

[Dakota 04]

This priest is a disgrace and should be defocked.

[dora rice]

THIS CATHOLIC MORON IS THE LOWEST LIVE ON THE FOOD CHAIN. I AM ASHAMED FOR ALL CATHOLICS WHO ARE DECENT PEOPLE. AND ANYONE WHO CONDONES THIS DERANGED MORON AND SUPPORTS HIS CHURCH IS AS GUILTY AS HE IS. THEY RAISE SOME HATEFUL COMMUNISTS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO. THE FBI SHOULD START AN INVESTIGATION JUST HOW UNAMERICAN THESE CLERGIES AND THEIR SUPPORTERS ARE.
NOTHING BUT CRIME ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CHICAGO. BECAUSE THEY PREACH HATE THEIR INSTEAD OF TENDING TO THEIR FLOCK. SHAME ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR HARBORING
A NASTY MORON LIKE HIM. RATZINGER SHOULD PERSONALLY THROW THIS GUY OUT OF THE CHURCH. HE SAYS HE IS SORRY? HA HA HA....

[ZipZipZip]

I carn't spel.

[ann1]

Please release that caps lock........now who's the moron?

[sandiaview]

That is such as sad commentary. You have quite a bit of hate in you. Yes, bitter you are!

[ann1]

That's between him and God.

[sandiaview]

Defrocked?? Are you kidding? This man is probably 100 times the better human than you are showing yourself to be here on this blog. I am indeed glad that this man has given his life to help others to have a life. Hillary is supposed to be tough. She said so. If this breaks her then she certainly shouldn't be President. She has dished out far worst than this!! So get over it! This is political posturing!

[Maya2008]

Hilary is a disgrace and should db thrown out of the party.

[Scarllatti]

In the first place, your article heading is factually wrong, OBAMA PASTOR ............ What is wrong with you intellectually lazy and bankrupt "writers" is that you prefer sensationalism instead of facts. This Roman Catholic priest is not "Obama's Pastor" simply because he preached in a church attended by the Obama family. Sometimes I wonder whether some of these "writers" pen their article in their pajama.

[sky2blue]

"Her problem was that she exuded, as did her husband even more than she, a sense of entitlement, a sense of being owed the Presidency, a sense that--as I've heard so many white women say these past few months--"it's our turn," as if philogynous voting behavior were the moral duty of women everywhere."

Tim Wise - http://www.lipmagazine.org/~timwise/Testosterone.html

[Scarllatti]

The article in your link is quite insightful. I love cerebral folks like you. Thanks.

[VSamuels]

Tim Wise is among a group of white anti-racial social scientists who are rarely, if ever, given a forum in today's MSM. Their viewpoint speaks to counter view of what the MSM presents to its majority white audience; that things are O.K. and there is no need to deal with our own culture and white priviledge. He was briefly a panelist on MSNBC's 'Meeting David Wilson', but after one segment he was replaced by the white female police chief of Washington, D.C. who added exactly what Wise indicates is the problem within white America: implying that any and all discussions involving blacks is somehow tied to crime and violence and the police.

Here we have a story about two men linked by their ancestor's story, and the media brings out a uniformed police officer to send what kind of message? Of all of the white experts available, this is who the producers and executives believe would be helpful in understanding the context of David Wilson's story? Of course not, it is part of the 'fantasy' and Disneyland version of America that subtly wishes to keep whites believing blacks are fearful, violent and unmanageable people who whites must protect themselves from at all times.

[WaynesWhirled]

Obama said he would have got up and left the church if he had heard some of the things Jeremiah Wright had said. Even though Obama was a member of the church for twenty years, we are supposed to believe that he never heard any of Wrights incendiary sermons. Ok, Obama now knows, AND KNOWS FULL WELL, what kind of church this is. And yet he remains a member of the church.

OBAMA IS COMPLICIT WITH HIS RACIST CHURCH!

[Maya2008]

Don't you have a KKK meeting to attend?

[ComnCents]

Are you familiar with the expression ‘Preaching to the Choir’? We all do it. In fact, most people who post comments here are doing it.

How different would the reaction have been if his bit had been done by SNL? The guy is trying to be a comedian and is not very good at it.

[DWX]

Father Pfleger is a village idiot. He is acting as if he is performing at Comedy Central, imitating the likes of Dave Lachapelle’s or Chris Rock’s performance. As much as Pfleger performance on the pulpit is very entertaining, he must be a very stupid person not to realize that every word he says will be recorded and will haunt Senator Obama, just like with Rev. Wright. Unlike with Rev. Wright, Senator Obama should throw this idiot under the Dump Truck and denounce him completely.

[Scarllatti]

Have mercy on a poor priest for a few minutes of judgment lapse. Fury is mans' while forgiveness is His.

[Redrover666]

You're right, poor, poor sad old priest. I'll just bet this was the first doggone time this ever happened.

[Hejira45]

"Once I threw the stones, now I am the glass"

Jonatha Brooke, musician and poet

[ann1]

I'd be very careful if I were you when speaking about a man of God, regardless how you feel about him.

[prverde]

this man Pfleger is noa man of God. Go's preachers preach love and unity not hate and mocking a person and calling names while elevating someone else. god would expect him o love and show and teach in the pulpit.

This Pfleger is shameful.