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."

___

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

Comments

[Crozier]

Bill Donahue....the president of a pseudo official Catholic lay group.....has been used by the Catholic bishops to diss the liberal and gay affirming Catholics indirectly. Donahue's group has no official standing within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America, and is relatively new. It is a rightwingnut fringe group established by theocons of the Catholic faith excluded by Protestants.

So, nothing about Hagee or Parsley or Dobson or Robertson......never. The man will vote for Senator John McCain, former Episcopalian and now anything that is more archconservative. The man is a homophobe and bigot and most probably a racist. He is in short, a disgusting individual. Poor Father Fleger...and am sure that the cardinal archbishop will use this episode to rap his knuckles with it.


The Corporate Fascist Media puts Obama's clergy references on 24-7 and puts Hagee and Parsley on a five second feed with voice over by the anchor. This includes General Electric dba NBC.

[KBAR]

Oh! Those EVIL capitalists!

[Bluejay00234]

I can tell you why there won't be much cover other than Fox, it's white on white racism so they say, well unless he's been anointed an honorary black man.

[athenasword]

ABC ran it. Big feature. Obama is bad. The preacher is bad. Poor Hillary is just the victim, again (no one dares mention that she is doing exactly those things that the preacher mocks her for!)

[Gemma08]

Saw a clip of the 'sermon' on CNN... It was HILLARIOUS!!!!

[athenasword]

It was indeed. I just roared!

[CALISCHOLAR]

There is also the hypocrisy of the media

Fake News and conservative blogs use the media to manipulate those who THE MEDIA, not OBAMA supporters, labled UNEDUCATED voters. these are those who claim to be FAIR & BALANCED

so called LIBERAL MEDIA, not wanting to be seen as in the tank for OBAMA, lead with stories like this pastor BS, just so they can appear as FAIRLY BALANCED


they both are hypocrites !

the reason AMERICA continues and WILL continue to be a racist nation, is we cant even get sincere, genuine, independant thinking honest white people to recognize it is PRIVLEDGE being white in this country. of course some whites are poor, and doing even worse than me. but this is not a commentary on individuals, i am talking about the disporportionate, collective disenfranchisement of this nation.

4% of the country owns 95% of the wealth


and 90+% of that 4% are white

THATS A FACT ...

and therefore, when you hear people talking about THE HEARTLAND of AMERICA, THE HARD-WORKING AMERICANS, the PULSE OF AMERICA, they aint talkin about people in SOUTH CENTRAL and THE SOUTHSIDE of CHICAGO.

discrimination in banking loans, at the car dealership, buying a house, walking in the mall, reporting the local news, the criminal justice sytem etc etc are rooted in racism...

and AMERICAs government has the nerve to judge ISLAM and the MIDDLE EAST....hypocrites !

[PAposter]

Thank you, "Scholar"!

[steamboat]

You notice the 'scholar' didn't mention a very low percentage of those Whites had the majority of that wealth. That the vast majority of us don't.

[CC1]

yeah discrimination is alive and well.... When getting extra college scholarships based on color, not having to make as high a college entrance exam due to color, special programs for home-ownership geared for certain individuals, special protected-by-law hiring practices. Hell, in Jena you can beat a white kid unconscious just for being white, still kick him after he's down, and still everybody comes to your defense like you're a perfect angel and should get no punishment. Privileged, my ass.

BTW, my ancestors are non-Muslims from the Middle East (not white), most discrimination I've experienced has not been from the white majority.

[Stephen420]

For reasons that mystify me, my 68 y.o. mother is a Republican. A couple of months ago, she told me she was considering Obama. I nearly fell off my chair, and if you knew my mother, you'd do the same. Today she told me about this incident. This priest really troubled her. She told me that., watching the video, the thing that worried her most were all the people in the congregation applauding and laughing and standing and so on. Being troubled about this led to being troubled by the prospect of a black president, no matter who he is. She mentioned "reverse racism", a concept that more white people believe in than let on. She was emphatic that she didn't think for a minute that Sen. Obama shared this kind of thinking and attitude. But that didn't matter.

My mother has always seemed to me to represent a significant demographic, and is generally consistent with predictable views within that demographic. I post this because I think it provides insight into how a good chunk of the American white middle class is reacting to this story, and how this story has unfortunately re-ignited the whole Wright controversy for many people. I feel so bad for Obama about this. Why are all these erstwhile friends of his behaving like this???

[PAposter]

I'm sorry did racism become a bad thing, when white people decided it was? Get back to me when they become an oppressed people in America.

[MrRavini]

Agreed. Every time Obama takes two steps forward some moron from his past says something offensive and pulls him back one.

[NeoStar9]

Interesting that you bring up "reverse racism". I've always felt that more white people believe in it then they let on as well. However the very fact that they do, at least to me, means they understand that racism exist and that on some level they would expect some type of "get even" to take place based on what some of their ancestors did. Perhaps on some level think it might be justified but wouldn't want to go through it themselves.

However that lead me to something that I had been wondering about for a while. It's the reason that perhaps some white are so shocked or even disturbed by the congregation applauding, etc. or are left wondering why some would easily see things the way the Paster Pfleger presented them.

Was there ever any serious attempt to try and heal and undo the damage that slavery, Jim Crow laws, and overt and accept racism did on this country and specifically to black people in it?

I'm not talking about making this fairer and making sure people were treated equally. I'm talking about an active attempt to heal wounds, feelings, mistrust, etc. instead of hoping and trying to let it correct itself. I think a large part of why things are still so bad (though they have improved greatly) is that there was never an active attempt by the government to try and heal the hurt, damage,and mistrust that built up over the years, decades, and centuries.

[Stephen420]

I have big problems with the concept of "reverse racism" as an apology for anything. I'm all for reparations and apologies - whatever is enough, because this conflict, or struggle or whatever you want to call it must have an end, so I'll go with whatever that is.

The thing you've been wondering for a while - I think when many white people over a certain age think about such things because they don't want to be racists, but the continuing plague of racism reveals to them polarities in our culture that aren't really always apparent to them. Where I live, the culture clash between East New York and Brooklyn Heights are worlds colliding. You can't miss it. Where my mother lives, which is in Dallas TX, such collisions are far more deeply hidden, and geographically much farther apart. So when video like this surfaces into their conscious awareness, it frightens them.

[IndependentMynd]

While 'revenge' may be a 'terror' that some whites have, it's an impossibility on any large scale. There just aren't enough 'angry' black men out there to make it happen. So you and your mother can relax. In fact, I can say with a lot of certainty that whites aren't the center of black people's worlds. Take that to the bank. :)

[Matt7]

Q: "Why is this news?"

A: WAKE UP PEOPLE! There's a primary election, Tuesday!

Haven't you guys figured out the pattern yet? Before every (possibly contentious) election, someone "discovers" some new, important information that voters should know about Obama.

Have you also noticed that even though Father Pfleger offered an apology (right there on the SPOT after making the comments, as well as later, officially, to the press); and even though Senator Obama came out IMMEDIATELY and condemned the remarks-- that it still was "not enough"?

Doesn't that show you that when / if Rev Wright "apologized, " or when / to what extent Obama distanced himself, that to some folks THAT doesn't matter, either?

My hat's off to anyone who DARES to submit themselves for public service! And my HOPE is that we CHANGE this toxic political environment once and for all!

[NeoStar9]

It will never be enough because they want to make a story where there is none. We should all be talking about McCellen's book and the fallout of it.

Fox doesn't want to even touch that. They had almost no coverage of it yesterday. The Pastor realized he went to far, got caught up in the moment, and apologized on the stop. People need to let it go.

[CocteausTwin]

It is interesting to see how once an apology is made that there are those won't something more -- like an apology. It shows what a pathetic story it is, another BS distraction. If people are satisfied by the immediate reaction by the Obama camp, then they were not seeking any sort of satisfaction other than trying to vilify someone by something said by a person not representing them. If McCarthyism is to be resurrected then lets by all means bring it on. Many are connected to the war criminals that are the current administration.

[DietrichMoody]

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE..............


THE REAGAN ERA IS OVERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I think this is calculated to end the crap that has been happening the last 28 years. Just a thought. This is why the fight against McCain and Reagan Era soldiers is going to be tough tough tough in the fall.

[TheKnownTruth]

Pastors are becoming like Dentist and Lawyers.....You'll do everything to avoid them ....add this guy to the list...

Sad ...very sad....

[NeoStar9]

I am so sick of the media and this whole primary season. They rather give hours upon hours to this but could care less about the actual issues. The whole guilt by association needs to stop on both sides.

All this whole primary election has done (and I think it needed to happen) is show (not in this order or all together) that some people are overallly sensitive, some can't handle truth even if they don't want to agree with it (how whites ie the majority are sometimes view by some that are black and even white), some can't handle cultures or parts of cultures not of their own, and some people are easily lead since all they pay attention to are sound bites and don't have the desire or ability to research things on their own. Welcome to America.

[ScandalousCandice]

Yeah lets talk about a guy kidding around, but not about Hillary threating to tear the whole system down if she doesn't get her way with the delegates of FL. and MI.

[Sanity01]

I know that this was a guest in Trinity's pulpit. It is not who is preaching that I have a problem with / it's the reaction of the congregation. I don't see anyone who seems offended by what is being said. And I'm not just talking about Hillary-bashing. I'm talking about more of the hate whitey/ whitey is evil / America is evil. The congregation was going WILD. Now, I don't think that the philosophy of the congrgation is any different now than it was for the 20 years that Mr. Obama sat in the pew. I know that if my church adopted the philosophies of the KLAN that I would leave. I just can't picture ANYONE returning week after week for more of the same if they didn't agree with what was being said. It really worrys me that a man who sell himself as a uniter is a part of such a divisive congregation. I wouldn't want a white separatist or a black separatist occupying the oval office.

[sky2blue]

Racism and white supremacy are rampant. Lots of white people act like they're "entitled."

It isn't a black "separatist" church. It's a church that challenges the paradigm of white privilege.

Here's an example of white privilege: many white Americans feel qualified to judge and determine what racial minorities experience in America. They feel entitled to have their own opinions about someone else's experience.

[PAposter]

Exactly, "sky"!

[MrRavini]

Say whatever you want -- it's a free country. Just understand how this undermines Obama and his candidacy. Do you care? Nothing like handing the Repubs a "gimme" on this one.

[Sanity01]

And I am entitled to allow my opinions to be colored by the company that a candidate keeps. I really don't think that Mr. Obama needed to apologize, he didn't say these things. My concern is the reaction of the congregation (to which Mr. Obama belongs). It's obvious that they agree with what is being said (whether it is said by Rev. Wright or this guy or whoever). 20 years as a member implies agreement.

[steamboat]

Excuses, excuses, excuses !

[PAposter]

.... and because I go to mass every Sunday, doesn't make me and my family Pedophiles, but members of our faith are. At least at Trinity they voice what they believe, most religious institutions cover it up like Catholics have for many decades. So, if we're being honest, we may all very well disagree with our Religious Leader's beliefs.

[ScandalousCandice]

Yeah by this rational that Obama is responsible for things other people say that would make billions of Catholics responsible for the priests right? Love that point you just made.

[Sanity01]

Good gosh!! I would hope that if the Catholic Church was preaching pedophelia from the pulpit that you would leave! That is a clearer comparison.

[Sanity01]

I think that speaking on pedophilia is a legimate subject to cover from the pulpit. I don't think that condoning it would be, do you?

[GingerB]

This guy loves whitey:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtIqeV-6mk&feature=related

http://youtube.com/watch?v=a-Wr7q27khE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfZqMkdpYi0

[IndependentMynd]

Um, white separatist have been occupying the oval office since it was built or did you flunk history?

[vschicago]

KBAR,

Grow up...You have amnesia.

Catholics everywhere should question why they are still Catholics after the worldwide exposure of pedophilia in their church INSTEAD of worrying about Obama's ties to Pfleger because Pfleger said what he said. Geez, how many times do people like you have to be told that you can't judge one person by what another person says, regardless of the circumstances. If you don't believe that, fine; according to your logic, President Obama is not obligated , almost required not, to talk to divisive people (Repubs, lobbyists,etc.), let's see how long your reps and senators are willing to be ignored by the president...now you see how silly this guilt by association is? Duh.

[CocteausTwin]

Please tell me it hasn't come to addressing "K'bar" I understand the temptation, but hardly worth much trouble. Most can discover his idiocy, his troll like posts from his profile. But then again I am taking the time to address his ineptitude.

[CALISCHOLAR]

can SOMEONE just admit it...

the REAL reason people took issue with both REV. WRIGHT and PFLEGAR is NOT what they said, is that the perishoners (look closely, they are NOT all black) applauded in agreement AND laughed uncontrollably because the only other alternative is to deal with the pain the truth causes.


what MANY, including hand-picked black folk pushing the conservative agenda fail to realize, is even with a white mother, grandparents, etc etc etc, OBAMA is seen as ONLY black. not that that is ANYTHING to be ashamed of, but black people collectively KNOW and FEEL how his skin color is really the root of the disingenuous criticism disguised as legitimate debate

he inNO MANNER is above criticsm and his policies are definitely open to criticism, but it is NOT paranoia to see racism OUT IN THE OPEN, on blogs, in the media and even from so-called fellow democrats who have convinced themselves just because they are not in the KKK, they dont have racist tendencies.

and you wonder why so many blacks, NOT SIMPLY THOSE AT TRINITY UNITED relate to WRIGHT and PFLEGAR ? its because racism is alive and well, and so when we HEAR and SEE it being public called out.....we APPALUD uncompromisingly

of course ALL blacks dont agree with me, many of us dont want to be accused ourselves of making excuses or being racist, but trust me, even those black folk know EXACTLY what im talking about

[sky2blue]

I'm black. I agree with you. In fact, let me help translate things.

This is mine," is what Clinton meant when she told Katie Couric when asked if she would be dissapointed if she weren't the Democratic nominee, “Well, it will be me,” she said.

"I'm Bill's wife," is what Clinton says everytime she embraces to the 90s.

"I'm white," is what Clinton is pointing out when she talks about winning "hard working Americans, white Americans."

[MrRavini]

"his skin color is really the root of the disingenuous criticism disguised as legitimate debate"

You're missing the point here. This isn't about skin color. Ridiculing Clinton in a demeaning and clownish way is what the problem is here. Offending millions of Clinton supporters -- on TV -- is serving what particularly constructive purpose to the Obama campaign? Can we at least taking the White House first before we start the celebration? Sheesh. Obama's trying to take the high road in this campaign -- and millions of people respect him for it. This other crap is just a needless diversion that will hurt his chances in November.

[KateWms]

No your missing the point, Father Plfeger wasn't preaching to millions of people, he was in a church, you need to be asking who put it out there for the public to view? B/c I assure you IT WASN'T OBAMA! that would be the last thing he would have done, he wasn't there that sunday so who's responsible for it hitting the media? who was responsible for Rev. Wright's tour, mmmmmmh makes you wonder if Clinton's weren't behind this. B/c I know Rev. Wright whom was invited by the Clintons supporter Barbara Reynolds to the Press Club was a sure setup, if not a pay off to be on their team! B/c Wright has no loyalty to Obama he showed that! the Clinton's who knows him well after his many trips to the white house. Please! Strange how it surfaced at this particular time, trying to throw off the RFK situation, looks like a act of the smear tactics of Hillary!

[PAposter]

I know exactly what you're talking about, and I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment. For anyone to contrast 200+ years to 20 yrs. is mind blowing. I don't know about anyone else, but my loyal in church is to Christ, not my Priest.

[GrainOSand]

I support these statements.

I love all people beyond the meaning that the word captures. Bigotry is wrong in all its forms. We cannot heal this great wound if we do not discuss it. This election has less to do with the candidates and more to do with us. Barack Obama has already proven he is transformative in this regard. I have never experienced this level of debate publicly on the question of race and whether or not it should, or it does play in part in the daily lives of all hard working Americans. Change is hard and painful but if we can survive the process and unify on the other side of discord then we will be better off. In the interim, discord rules it seems.

[ScandalousCandice]

Oh and Hillary is upset that Obama didn't apologize or specifically denounce the father. But yet she herself never apologized for the assassination remarks.

And Pat Buchanan is having a field day with this. Nevermind that it was a white guy who said and that Barack himself is half white. The Black candidate and his scary Black church. Ohhhhhh so scared of it.

[NeoStar9]

I usually watch MSNBC but when Pat is on I can't stand it. Tucker at least is rational and while I don't agree I can understand how he comes to his conclusions. Pat is just a bigot.

[ScandalousCandice]

Pat Buchanan failed politician and drinks the haterade.

[KateWms]

Pat Buchanan is going to have a stroke over Obama, he drives him up a wall. I think it has to do with the fact that he's never been as far as a candidate for president as Obama has. LOL

[UnbiasView]

As a state senator, Obama secured two grants related to Pfleger's church — one for $100,000 to repair The Ark community center at the church in 2000 and the other for $125,000 for computers at the church's employment resource center.

For his part, Pfleger, 59, has donated $1,500 to Obama's campaigns for state office and another $1,500 to his presidential campaign.

Aides say Obama has rarely visited St. Sabina, although he cited Pfleger, along with Wright, as one of his spiritual advisers in a 2004 Chicago Sun-Times story. Pfleger helped Obama's Iowa campaign by taking part in a faith forum.

[ScandalousCandice]

It's called free speech. Why does Obama have to apologize for the way most people actually do think of her? He never said it himself so why is he responsible? Hillary never apologized for admitting to staying in the race because something bad might happen to Obama.

[steamboat]

Did you feel the same for Imus, Rush, and Jimmy the Greek? What about their free speech?

[ScandalousCandice]

Also we like to talk about how strongly this church feels about political issues, yet we never talk about the massive amounts of good things this church has done for its community and it's followers.

[cmeans29]

That' $225K is paltry compared to $1.5 million secured for Rev. Calvin Butts. BTW, she got the endorsement.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200801/POL20080124d.html

[steamboat]

Rev. Jeremiah Wright has received over $8 Million in Fed., State, and Local grants over the years.....The country he hates took pretty good care of him.

(source: Chicago Sun-Times; columnist Laura Washington archives)

[ScandalousCandice]

Are you kidding me? Race for the White House leading with this pulpit story?

I am absolutely outraged that they are going to run this and loop this all freaking weekend. But McCain's pastor issues barely made the rounds. Hillary's assassination remarks are all but gone from the media coverage.

This is pathetic.

[ApolloniaCreed]

Thank you! You took the words right out of my font. I for one am tired of the BS.

[BeauBasset]

What gets me is that this guy was being a comedian. It's no different than what we all see and laugh at on late night TV. And you are so right, they will play this over and over all weekend.Hillary has some pastor issues of her own