Why should Wright be apologetic if he feels he hasn’t done anything wrong? Why should he shut up for Obama's sake? I'll bet he still supports Obama's candidacy but why should he be silent? Perhaps Wright sees this as the one time that he might have an opportunity to get his message out to more people than he would have before. Wright keeps mentioning the fact that Obama is a politician–he's right Obama cannot upset anyone, but that shouldn't mean that Wright must stay quiet.

It's clear that the Reverend felt some type of betrayal and hurt of his own. I am assuming that he felt slighted by BO distancing himself from the earlier comments (the church footage). So this smacks of retaliation versus Wright defending himself.

He was flippant, arrogant, dismissive and nasty in his speech at the NAACP in Detroit. This is a man of God? He says he is speaking b/c he feels like the black church is being attacked. I call bullshit on that. His ego couldn't let this go and he wanted BO to know that he is still a player. Instead of king maker, Wright may actually end up being a king killer.

I didn't get to hear his NAACP speech, but I heard the one he did yesterday morning. It was GGGGGGGGGREAT! Honestly… I agreed with him all the way. The issue isn't if this will "hurt Obama," Wright is a pastor when it comes down to it. The media (especially those radio stations) were attacking "blk theology", saying stuff like "this is how all those churches think, this how blk theology is…..etc." He works for God, not Obama. But I agree, his words will only make it harder for Obama's campaign. Especially the questions they asked him at the end (what the media continues to show more of, instead of his actual speech). He could have saved the "I'm on fi-yah" or "I'm on a roll" attitude while he was responding to those questions. Lol… it looked like he was throwing dice, leaning in and out to the microphone. Other than that, this gave me more respect towards him.

Good for Obama for his "Sister Souljah Moment".

Obama was always smart enough to have looked past Wright's conspiracy-theory predications, because the church did so much good for the community. But I'm not sure many, if not most, Americans can understand that. They believe that if you attend a church, then you must agree with everything the pastor says.

That said, it was smart for Obama to loudly and unequivocally distance himself from someone who, frankly, embodies a lot of the worst stereotypes of older black Americans' worldviews. Lots (most?) of older white people will not support a black candidate that they think coming out of the same mold as Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson or Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharpton.

I personally don't think Wright deserves the hysterical scorn he's endured the past couple of weeks (even though I don't agree with him on a lot of points), but I don't matter. The white rural & independent votes do, and Obama needs them to win in November.

Fortunately, Wright said enough damaging & insulting things about Obama over the past few days for me to not feel any significant amount of sympathy for him when Obama throws him under the bus. Hope he enjoys his retirement in Florida…

I can't believe it. I actually agree with BMD!

I think Wright is soooo full of himself right now that he can't see past it! I think he purposely retaliated against BO with the "politician" comment. He is just too intelligent to have "misspoken" or have said this loosely. I think he was OK defending himself and the "Black church" if he feels as if their is a monolithic Black church under attack, however he simply went too far! Jealousy?????????

i'm really depressed about this. as if BO wasn't going to have a hard enough time being elected.

I think BO had to do what he did. I would imagine that he understands that it would be too hard to make a nuanced argument about how some of Wright's comments are actually accurate and well thought out, but others aren't. Basically, don't scare the white folk with more scary black folk.

So depressing. I just spent 5 hours over the past few days reading all of Joan Walsh's commentary about the Wright controversy, and all the 700 some odd letters over on salon.com. Let me just say, people are fucking nuts. And why is no one focused on the McCain/Hagee business? Or the fact that the Christian right routinely has claimed that 9/11 and Katrina were God's wrath for gays and such? How is this really different from what Wright is saying?

Oh yeah, he's a scary negro.

Ugh.

@stopthemadness: Because the DNC is, again, displaying abject weakness. They should be swiftboating McCain fast & hard. There is no difference at all between Wright & McCain's counterparts (Hagee & Falwell)

Preachers are not intermediaries to God. They are more typically just as egotistical, materialistic, and flawed as everyone else.
Wright is atypical, in that he is even more egomaniacal, insufferable, and materialistic than most people. He's also been cooking in the crazy for way too long.

Eh, I think Obama is done. I never had much faith in the so-called White Middle America he was trying to appeal to by NOT seeming too extreme, but this doesn't help. And while I do not think anyone should be denied a platform to speak, Wright's recent public appearances are detrimental to Obama's campaign. What's worse is Wright knew better.

While a lot of people would probably say his biggest lapse of judgment was maintaining a relationship with Wright despite his “controversial” nature, I think his biggest mistake was trusting him not do to any more damage.

I don't think Obama could have distanced himself before this without pissing off a lot of black folk. Watching the speech that started all of this, I found myself agreeing with a lot of what Wright had to say. But with his latest statements on HIV, etc., Wright made it infinitely easier to distance himself without suffering any backlash from blacks.

It's ironic to me how much Wright likes to draw lines between himself and "politicians" when more and more they seem to have more of the B.S. rhetoric in common. Politicians and Pastors. It could be a game show.

OBAMA:

"I never had spiritual relations with that man!"

Wright knew what he was doing–this is an educated man. It's unfortunate that he went to great lengths to hurt someone who was supposed to be his friend…running for the highest office in the land. Is he jealous of Obama? I hope Obama never has anything to do with him again. He's crazy!!!

I think the Wright situation will have some damage, but hopefully today's press conference ended talk of the topic [for now at least]. I'm sure Obama will be able to come back and still secure the nomination.

I don't think that Rev. Wright was trying to hurt Barack, but I do think he's got other things higher on his list of priorities than Barack's campaign–such as his own relationship with God and obligations to his role as a man of God. I don't necessarily think he should have said everything that he said NOW, but I do think it needed to be said, because I definitely do see this mass attack as a direct affront to the Black church and its traditions. So much has been taken away from Black people over time in this country, and we've taken all that pain and anger to the church to deal with it. Now mainstream America is attacking that tradition as racist and separatist? They should be elated that we go to church on Sunday to vent frustration and seek God in the madness that is this country rather than the Malcolm X "by any means necessary" approach. I support Barack, but I also acknowledge what he can't say: that very few Blacks would be shocked and appalled to find that the government had something to do with the spread of HIV within the Black community, that most of us do see this war as immoral and have always been conflicted/at odds with this country's foreign policy decisions, and that many of us did, in fact, see 9-11 as "The Big Payback". As a pastor, Rev. Wright is obligated to speak the truth as God shows it to him and as a presidential candidate, Barack must use this as a chance to increase his demonstration of diplomacy which should enhance his reputation as a unifier that can bridge a divide between parties, and he must find a way to reconcile who he is with what the country wants him to be. Unfortunately, he's learning he can't have it both ways.

AMB, what bothers me most is that he basically called his "so-called" candidate a LIAR. he said BO was being a politician in his response and I'm not so sure of that. However, it is indeed true,and he supports Obama why say it??? No one is asking him to lie but why not wait til later to come out with that? His intentions are questionable at best!!!

Mama,

Funny!

I agree with BMD and both Anon's. I think Wright is being selfish and self serving. I don't care if he believes that God is on his side, he has no right to make that decision for everyone.

@maria - Wright should watch what he says because we are trying to WIN. Sometimes success means having to choose your battles wisely and yes, maybe even bite your tongue even when you think you are right.

Rev. Wright could have a larger impact if he would support Obama in a real way instead of trying to be selfish and vying for air time. I am so upset about this whole thing I don't even know what to say. I'm not sure what this means for Obama's chances but I feel like we were so close and things were going so well. I don't feel like he's lost the nomination but he really did NOT need this. Hillary and McCain were already planning to throw the kitchen sink at him, this just adds fuel to their fire. Also, I think McCain/Hagee hasn't been brought to the forefront because America is having such a great time bashing the black candidate and his angry fire breathing preacher, why kill a good thing? It's so much easier for white ("colorblind"), middle America to gang up on the "big bad black man."