Clinton Owes Obama An Apology
I've had it with the Clintons.
The past few months I've tried to defend Bill and Hillary Clinton against some of the more unreasonable attacks from their critics. Just last weekend on CNN's Ballot Bowl, I defended Bill Clinton when critics accused of him of questioning Barack Obama's patriotism. The critics may have misinterpreted Clinton's remarks, I said, giving the former president the benefit of the doubt.
I've also defended Barack Obama in recent weeks against unreasonable charges directed at him because of his association with his church and his pastor. It seems obvious to me that Barack Obama loves his country and is not an anti-white bigot.
Maybe I'm too close to the two Democrats to be against either one. I went to law school with Barack Obama and worked in the Clinton White House, so I have connections and allegiances to both candidates. That's why I've never understood the rabid Hillary haters or the angry Obama opponents. To me, all three candidates -- including John McCain -- are good and decent Americans who have served their country with distinction.
I wish Hillary Clinton would acknowledge that fact too. In the past few weeks, I've been increasingly disturbed by the gratuitously negative tone of the Clinton campaign.
First, during an interview with 60 Minutes host Steve Croft, Sen. Clinton cleverly stoked the rumors that Obama might be a closet Muslim. "No, there is nothing to base that on," she told Croft. But then she slyly added, "As far as I know."
Next, she all but endorsed McCain over Obama for president. "I have a lifetime of experience that I will bring to the White House," she said. "I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House. And Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002."
Then came the Jeremiah Wright story. Based on the previous tactics used by her campaign, I did not expect Clinton to say much of anything about the Wright story. As Napoleon Bonaparte famously said, "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." And after all, the Clintons have relied on the support of controversial black pastors, include Rev. Jeremiah Wright, to save their own hides several times in the past.
But as time went by, and the Wright story lingered on, it seemed Clinton was perfectly willing to let the uninformed public get the misimpression that Barack Obama is moonlighting as an anti-American black nationalist racist. She knows better, and she ought to be ashamed for not speaking up on his behalf.
Just last month, in one of the many near-death experiences that forced her into a moment of vulnerable humility, Senator Clinton told a debate audience in Austin, Texas that she was proud to sit beside Barack Obama. "No matter what happens in this contest -- and I am honored. I am honored to be here with Barack Obama. I am absolutely honored," she said to applause. For a moment, it seemed the Democratic contest might become civil but competitive. For a moment.
Then on Tuesday of this week, apparently dissatisfied that the Jeremiah Wright story had failed to derail Obama's campaign, Clinton broke her silence on the issue and told a newspaper in Pennsylvania (188 delegates) that Rev. Wright "would not have been my pastor."
She repeated her criticism at a press conference later in the day. "You know, we don't have a choice when it comes to our relatives. We have a choice when it comes to our pastors and the churches we attend," she said.
She ought to be ashamed. A month ago she stoked the fears that Obama might be a Muslim and now she plays on the fears of Pennsylvanians that the Illinois senator is a radical black Christian. I would expect that kind of nonsensical fear mongering from a Republican, but I'm disappointed when it comes from a fellow Democrat.
Even John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has acknowledged that Clinton and Obama are both honorable Americans. When a conservative radio host attacked Obama at a Cincinnati McCain rally last month, the Arizona senator stood up for his Democratic opponents and apologized for the attack. "I have repeatedly stated my respect for Senator Obama and Senator Clinton," he said and promised to "treat them with respect." That was much classier than Hillary Clinton's comments on Jeremiah Wright.
As a New Yorker, I have been proud of Hillary Clinton's service in the Senate, and I harbor no ill will toward her. If she somehow manages to wrangle the nomination from Obama, I will actively support her general election campaign. But I cannot remain silent any longer while my own senator destroys the Democratic Party, and her own reputation, in a desperate and degrading effort to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
It's time for Senator Clinton to act like a leader that I know she can be. Hilary Clinton not only needs to defend Barack Obama, she needs to apologize to him.
Follow Keith Boykin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/keithboykin
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Uhhh, what?
""But I cannot remain silent any longer while my own senator destroys the Democratic Party, and her own reputation, in a desperate and degrading effort to appeal to the lowest common denominato
Dude, then WHY would you want Hillary to be President?
XCITIZEN, what amazes me is that Arianna and Keith aren't saying one stinking word about the $ONE MILLION DOLLAR mansion that Rev. Wright is going to be given and being built in Tinley Park, Illinois. Its all over this morning's Chicago Sun-Times (3/29/08, Saturday). Why no mention by this blog?
Possibly because what Wright does is not relevant. Just b/c Fox news can't get over fapping off to their smear vid doesn't mean that everything he does is newsworthy nationally. Removed from Obama, he is a significant figure in Chi, which is prob why it is getting covered there.
What exactly are you trying to insinuate? Don't tell me you've been buying all the crap Fox news says.
Why does all the Christian Mega Church Pastor live in Million Dollar Mansions?
Pastor Hagee lives in a Mansion. Pat Robertson owns Diamond Mines in Africa. How did Pat Robertson get to own a Diamon Mine in Africa and have Black Africans working for him?
Maybe they aren't saying anything about it is because we don't care where Rev. Wright lives or how much it costs. Personally, I care what a candidate says and does, not what others say. And I care even less about what nonsense Hannity & company froth at the mouth about on FNC. How utterly infantile your amazement is.
kEITH,
I've seen your appearances and right you are,you have given honest and positive opinions of
both candidates.
My only hope is that there were OTHER PEOPLE in the world like YOU,that desire to treat others
as they desire to be treated.
We all make mistakes in our struggles to live life,but WE ourselves are responsible and ONLY us
for what we do and say.To blame or exspect others to take responsibility for our
mistakes is not only self destructive but counter productive to living a fufilling LIFE.
We do ourselves an injustice by spending time judging others and not changing our mistakes.
It is sought of like letting people know;"YOU'RE MISERABLE AND I WANT TO SEE YOU
MISERABLE ALSO".WHAT A WASTE.
So continue your quest for KEEPING THEM FAIR and HONEST,maybe the ISSUES will return to the
FOREFRONT and everyone will realize WHAT is important to ALL AMERICANS,of all RACES of all
FINANCIAL STATUS.AFT
to LIVE IN HATE and SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS unable to ACHIEVE HAPPINESS because WE'RE
SO BUSY HATING and JUDGING.
John
B.R.,La.
This is discussion between WASPs & BASPs (Black Anglo Speaking Prot's). Let's broaden discussion. I don't understand Wright any more than I get TV evangelists.
HRC: "We have a choice when it comes to our pastors & churches," she's playing win-at-all costs & she reveals model at odds with catholics/ethnics.
Problem with priest, complain to Bishop don't leave Church. Then it falls on Bishops; they're institutionally accountable; our model is not congregational.
In protestantism, there's no peer review. When Paul on own said circumcision not req'd, "bishops" hauled his ass back to Jerusalem: you might be right but we don't do personal revaluation, we are community. We have a 1st among equals but revelation flows through communal peer review to avoid not well thought out personal epiphanies.
WASPs&BASPs are segregated on Sun. because there is no institutional check to prevent it nor to encourage integration.
While catholics have parishes & these can still reflect societal housing segregation, it is not religious segregation. This is not to suggest that there are no racist catholics.
How could Obama sit there for 20 yrs & not say anything?
Let's let out the secret: He doesn't regularly go to church.
2nd, who is he going to complain to: no institutional authority.
3rd, he's married. Is he going fight with wife over it? If you have to "pick a church or pastor", then it involves a husb/wife discussion & not merely religious, but cultural,social, stylistic & status choices.
I think you're making an assumption here that "Protestant" is an organized church in the same way that Roman Catholic is. "Protestant" is more like a category, not a church.
Protestant churches are not without organizational structure; the structure merely differs from denomination to denomination. Wright's church, Trinity United Church of Christ, is affiliated with United Church of Christ. They do have a General Synod that meets every two years, but I don't know how much influence/power it might have over its members. Other denominations have more formal structures.
Why is Hagee still a Pastor after having a SLAVE FOR SALE PARTY FOR HIS CHURCH SCHOOL?
Why is it OK to call the Catholic Church The Whore Church?
Impossible for anyone to see why Clinton has to apologize to Obama. SHE did not sit in his church for 20 years and never make a move to quell some of the hate in Jeremiah Wright. Obama couldn't even bring himself to renounce his "pastor" and "friend of the family's" speech, much less to decide to choose another church. There are some who say that he didn't want to lose the blacks, whether black nationalists or just more conservative, and their support for his candidacy. Whatever the reason, the speech ticking off the racial history of this nation, is just another Jeremiah Wright sermon with the hate for whites removed but still the sordid account of how blacks came to feel the hate and speak it as well. It is necessary to speak about race in this contest but certainly not to rationalize why some blacks have so much hate-filled baggage anymore than a speech by a white racist rationalizing that same sort of hate because of the history of the American South.
Hillary talks of how Rev. Wright would not have been her pastor and yet at one point he was just that! During their marital troubles the Clintons sought counsel from Rev. Wright. So I guess she would choose him to be her pastor.
go read the speech again - or for the first time. Sounds like you neither read or nor heard it.
As so many people have pointed out, including Obama, there's a lot more to Wright than the 20 seconds or so of endlessly looping controversial video. Try understanding the context, opening your mind a little and THINKING.
December 10, 2007
Third Clinton Volunteer Knew Of Smear E-Mail
A third volunteer for Hillary Clinton's campaign was aware of a propaganda e-mail alleging that Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."
http://hot
Shaheen: Did Obama sell drugs? (Shaheen an advisor for Hillary.)
Hillary:" attacking other Democrats is the ‘fun part’ of this campaign..
http://www
Recently, Hillary Clinton's campaign has picked up on this charge. In a March 27 conference call with reporters, Clinton spokesman Phil Singer claimed:
Singer (March 27): Sen. Obama has often referred to himself as “a constitutional law professor” out on the campaign trail. He never held any such title. And I think anyone, if you ask anyone in academia the distinction between a professor who has tenure and an instructor that does not, you’ll find that there is … you’ll get quite an emotional response.
http://www
University of Chicago: Obama was a professor
http://www
Why does everyone say He sat in that church for 20 years? What did he do, go from Springfield to Chicago for church services each sunday? Does he travel to Chicago from DC for services now? How about when he is on Senate trips? does he fly back for services from Kenya or Jordan? He said there were times he was not there. So far with all the trying they can not find Obama in the pews in any of the videos shown. And I would imagine Obama and his family would be prominent in them.
Has anyone with problems with Rev. Wright watched all the videos? Have they seen the videos that were not used? How about if what Wright said was so common in that church...w
Seems to me that it is just like being given only certain views of saddam and his WMD. We were lied to so that someone could get what they want...the
I cannot understand why you "intelligencia" don't get it! My son-in-law, D, is also half black and half white. A few years ago, his dad, Tom came to my house for a barbecue, and soon he dissappeared. When D found his dad at his sister's house, and asked him why he left, Tom(the dad) said 'there's too many white people there.' This incident is comparable to Obama's grandmother's comments. HOwever, imagine that D sat in a church for 20 years, while the pastor made anti-BLACK comments, anti-American comments, etc..and let's assume this pastor was a close personal friend of DAvid Duke. IMPOSSIBLE!!! Would not happen..yo
McCain and Keith may both be wrong about Clinton. She's not behaved honorably at all.
Mr. Boykin;
For your information: Obama and adult and is responsible for any decisions he makes and any actions he takes. How dare you suggest that Hillary is in ANY WAY responsible for Obama's choices? And frankly, how dare you suggest that it is Hillary's responsibility to defend Obama - for the result of his foolish choices? I've been listening to this latest - How Hillary is Obligated to Defend Obama- tripe for the last 10 days now and I've never heard a bigger pile of crap in my life!
I sure haven't heard anyone suggest that it's Obama's responsibility to defend Hillary! Have you ever suggested that Mr. Boykin?? Has the press - have the pundits??
Nope, all one hears and reads and sees: are headline vilifying Hillary - because of Obama's mistakes! Has everyone lost their minds in this primary? There seems to be some kind of mass hysteria..
cont'd
(Part 2) Many of us are so cowed by fear and exhausted by the demands of our material existence we fail to realize we create our reality. In this narrowly defined view, we're afraid of doing something "wrong" or "bad", and being considered "poor", "weak" or "stupid." We fear being from the wrong race, social class or religion, and being the wrong age, sex or size.
How can we be the change we wish to see in the world? We can live by value fulfillment and practice idealism. We can determine the qualities of life and being we value most, our ideals, and actualize them to the best of our ability. It's time to believe in ourselves. After all, who can do a better job of creating our reality than us?
We all need to ask ourselves what's going to work best for ALL of us and take full responsibility for creating our reality, or be in the process of learning how to do so. We all have something valuable to contribute to the world. The alternative is to continue living in fear and general chaos where deceit, lies, conflict and violence are the norm.
To change the world for the better, not only do we need to take responsibility for changing ourselves for the better, we need to take responsibility for choosing leaders who support our intent to change ourselves and the world for the better.
cont'd..
Face it: Obama CHOSE Rev. Wright.. and he CHOSE to stay by his side for 20 years!
Obam chose a racist and America hater as his mentor!. When he was found out... he wrote a speech out of desperatio
What are you going to do today? Screech at Hillary some more because more of the Reverend's hates have surfaced? he hates the Jews, he hates Italians for killing Christ??? Like where did this guy go to school? -- So, I'm interested to see how you and the press are going to lay this one on Hillary. You're selling the idea that it's in poor taste to discuss this... we know that. Well get something clear: It's appalling to listen to 20 years of this kind of brainwashing! The one responsible for that appalling choice is Obama... and no one needs to defend this outrageous behavior and poor judgment.
It is inexcusable!
Good Lord, you have no idea of what you're talking about! You're basing your entire opinion on 30 seconds of sound and a single church announcement with a typo!
His comments might be rough, and some are out there, but it comes from years of experiencing an America where people were segregated for their color, treated different by the police, shut out from jobs and proper advancement because of their color instead of their ability; in short an America which was very different from blacks than it was for whites. So maybe yo9u should read more on his good works before making a criticism.
Oh yeah, if those other people are so "good" why are they still going to Bob Jones University to make campaign stops? Why aren't all the Catholics leaving the organization that hides child molesters? Why is it the only religious person you can get upset about is a pastor who's done more for this country than many of the people talking shit about him?
Which self, which world, do we want to create? We act as though Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain, whichever candidate becomes our President, will be our savior. None of them will. We need to save ourselves. We need to save ourselves from beliefs like "we're separate, there's not enough of what we want or need to go around, life is a matter of survival of the fittest, we're bad", and "we can't trust ourselves.
We live in a Value Judgment World of good and bad, right and wrong, guilt and punishment. It is a world of fear-based external values. In this world, we see ourselves as separate, not both one AND separate. We believe in scarcity, not abundance; competition, not partnership; evil, not goodness; fear, not love. By supporting a system of external values, as opposed to a system of internal values, we often value other people's views and opinions above our own. In doing so, we become like a leaf on the wind, blowing wherever it takes us. We become the victims of our reality, not the creators of it. What does it say about us when we quickly lose sight of our ideals and succumb to fear and bickering? (Part 1)
Much of this "dirty politics" going on between the Clintons and Obama appears to originate with the Press leaping on everything that could possibly be interpreted as an insult and beating it to death in the daily news.
Frankly, most of the Reverend Wright uproar has been perpetuated by the Press long after the public wrote it off as no big deal... of course some of the people throwing gasoline on the fire appear to be the so-called "consultants" employed by the media, while at the same time being advisors to one of the candidates
Unfortunately, most people don't get a fair accounting of who is on whose team... they just hear the scab being ripped off the wound over and over again.
Face it folks, the once vaunted "Fairness Doctrine" has been repealed, and the PRESS is at least partly responsible for the mess this country is in today because they spent much of the past 8 years being cheerleaders for the Bush team!
Our nation needs much more than just campaign reform and elimination of the lobbyist's influence.
Yessss!!!
AGREEE 100%
The race is a boxing match for the press to cover with rampant sensationalism , no longer a discussion of the issues.
I am addicted to the match too, but I know most of this is a sick example of how how the American public loves HOGWASH.
Both candidates flower each other with 100s of compliments which get ignored while the press,
and we overly sensitive "sport's fans",
dig up the next NON-TROVERSY.
Has either of them been asked to defend their love of the death-penalty yet?
Maybe Mr. Boykin is so close to the forest that he cannot see the trees. Once again he comes on like he has a close relationmship with the Clintons so as to put real and heart felt consideration towards them as he bashes the Clintons while at the same time trying to bolster his idol Barack Obama "in an around about way".. Mr, Boykins sincerity is just simply overwhelming !!
One, maybe a few little apologies toObama, a million big apologies to the Clintons. I've never seen anybody crucified by the media, the GOP and the maniacal side of the Democratic party as these two. What makes it so bad is that the Clintons deserve to be praised with the magnitude greater than the magnitude of this criticism. I think the media that gave Bush the free ride are being taken for a ride again.
Kevin, there's no such word as "misimpres
Since I knew what he meant by "misimpression" and read on without giving it a second thought, it is now a word by the meaning of "word", whether you like it or not.
CNN owes the American people an apology - they suck
CNN Sucks-every show is about obamas pastor, they don't want to be a top notch news agency they want to formulate public opinion. I've learned 20 times more about whats going on politically on huffpost, than watching every show they have all day. Larry King-Obamas Pastor, Lou Dobbs - all about dems fighting and Obamas pastor, AC 360-the pastor, dems fighting, Situation Room - same. There are no commercials to have to wait for here. Huffington Post is election central CNN sucks.
That you're still remotely talking positively about Hillary is a joke. She's been race-baiting since Billy Shaheen. ...and it's taken until NOW for you to say something?
GMAFB.
I'm glad you like both of these candidates, but if Clinton owes Obama an apology, Obama owes the Clintons an apology too. By letting the accusations of racism fly before the South Carolina primary, he ensured his own political standing with Blacks at the expense of the Clintons who, we all know, are not racists. "The Speech" should have been given before that primary was held so that race was defused. Instead, he waited until his own campaign was threatened by the appearance of racism before he uttered a word.
Politics is a contact sport but pundits only want the mudslinging to go one way. Please don't join the crowd on this.
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