I didn't think it would take long.

Working to mitigate the damage from recently disclosed sermons of bigotry and hate by Rev. Wright, Barack Obama tried to shift responsibility today.  And in the process once again played the race card.

Speaking at a town hall in Plainfield Indiana, Obama said this:

You heard some statements from my former pastor that were incendiary and that I completely reject, although I knew him and know him as somebody in my church who talked to me about Jesus and family and friendships.

If all I knew was those statements that I saw on television, I would be shocked," he said. "And it just, it reminds me that, you know, we've got a tragic history when it comes to race in this country.

Let's pause here.   If all I knew was those statements that I saw on television...

As if those statements alone were not enough to be shocked??

Obama went on to say, as reported by ABC News:

"The forces of division have started to raise their ugly heads again, and I'm not here to cast blame or point fingers because everybody senses the shift"

What forces of division?  When you say that you aren't pointing fingers, of course that's exactly what you're doing.  Is he implying that someone else is responsible for the fall-out over his relationship with Rev. Wright?  Perhaps Hillary Clinton, ABC, or FOX?

Or is he just angry that the hypocrisy of his "unity" credo got exposed and he's desperate for a scapegoat?

Who exactly is the Force of Division here?  Everyone else, or Barack Obama and his pastor/spiritual advisor/friend/counselor?

Obama said more:

When people say things like my former pastor said, you have to speak out forcefully against them," Obama said. "But what you have to also do though is remember what Bobby Kennedy said, that it is within our power to join together to truly make a United States of America.

Yes, you do need to speak out forcefully against them, Mr. Obama.  Which raises the question: Why you are only now speaking out -- perhaps because it is politically expedient to do so?. Where was your moral leadership before?

How dare Obama use the memory of Bobby Kennedy as a tool to clean up the poison of Rev. Wright. I'd like to check in with Bobby's kids to see what they have to say.

Obama chose Rev. Wright as his pastor, friend, and spiritual advisor and has continued to nurture their  relationship for 20 years.  Obama's philosophy of "hope" was inspired by this zealot.  And now Obama has thrown Rev. Wright under the bus in a desperate attempt to salvage his political ambitions....all the while playing the race card and the blame game.  Brilliant Axelrod!

Obama is lying about what he knew and when he knew it.  One only need to examine his own words to find glaring contradictions.  He said yesterday that he only recently became aware of Rev. Wright's views but in the next breath said that he became aware of Wright's views at the beginning of his presidential campaign. Which is it?

In Feb. 2007 Obama rescinded an invitation for Rev. Wright to give the invocation at the announcement of his presidential campaign.  Why?  According to the New York Times:

Burton, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, said the campaign disinvited Mr. Wright because it did not want the church to face negative attention...."Senator Obama is proud of his pastor and his church, but because of the type of attention it was receiving on blogs and conservative talk shows, he decided to avoid having statements and beliefs being used out of context and forcing the entire church to defend itself," Mr. Burton said.   http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/06/us/pol itics/06obama.html?_r=2&emc=eta1& ;oref=slogin&oref=slogin 

This article says that Obama attended a controversial sermon last summer:  http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/arti cles/2007/8/8/194812.shtml

In fact, everyone knows by now that Obama has known about Rev. Wright's positions for many years, if not decades.  Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, Wright said "god damn America" as he pointed his finger at America for the attack by terrorists.

Are we to believe that Obama was unaware of these controversial remarks?  Obama was a community leader and elected official.  Did no congregates of the church discuss Wright's remarks with Obama following 9/11?  Where was Obama's leadership then?  Why didn't he speak out?

Does Obama think that the American people are that stupid?

When did Obama dismiss Rev. Wright as his spiritual advisor?

What is wrong with these journalists that they refuse to ask Barack Obama such questions?

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As for Rev. Wright and his library of offensive diatribes, a quick google search turns up one that blames Natalee Holloway for her own death in Aruba:

Sen. Barack Obama's longtime friend and spiritual adviser trashed the memory of a missing and presumed dead American teenage girl, according to church publications reviewed by WND.

"Black women are being raped daily in Darfur, Sudan, in the Congo and in Sub-Saharan Africa. That doesn't make news," Wright said in the August 2005 edition of Trumpet Magazine, a publication of his Trinity United Church of Christ.

But, "One 18-year-old white girl from Alabama gets drunk on a graduation trip to Aruba, goes off and 'gives it up' while in a foreign country, and that stays in the news for months!" he added. "Maybe I am missing something!"

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/articl e.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59887

I wonder what else one would find among these "church publications." And how many more times will Obama say "I didn't hear that?" Judge for yourself:

There's more...

Barack Obama's self-proclaimed "spiritual advisor" and "moral compass," the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ (http://www.tucc.org), says that Obama deserves to be President, and Hillary does not, because "Hillary Clinton ain't never been called a nigger."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hAYe7MT5BxM

Wright also said in another VIDEO:

"Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain't! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty."

http://tinyurl.com/23rqtw

Outraged Democrats in the blogosphere today are calling for Rev. Wright to resign from Obama's campaign.  Yes, he is on the campaign. According to Ben Smith of Politico:

Wright is a member of Obama's African American Religious Leadership Committee -- the sort of largely honorary, advisory body that in recent days has recently been used mostly to throw people off who say controversial things.

The Obama campaign couldn't immediately say whether he'd remain on the committee.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0 308/Wrights_committee.html

Well, I'd be shocked if Obama does not announce Rev. Wright's resignation today.  What choice will he have?

,But Wright's resignation will not matter.  It will be far too little, far too late.  The sobering story of Obama's 20-year relationship with Rev. Wright provides voters with a window into the soul of this agent of "change" and "unity."

"The Audacity of Hope," Obama's bestseller, was inspired by one of Wright's sermons. Wright is one of the first people Obama thanked after his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004. In a Jan. 2007 Chicago Tribune story, Obama said that Wright keeps his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.

"What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice...He's much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking truthfully about what I believe is possible and that I'm not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that's involved in national politics."

Obama says he found religion and Jesus Christ through Wright, whom he met in the mid-1980s. Obama has been attending Wright's church regularly since 1988....In 1991, Obama joined the church and walked down the aisle in a formal commitment of faith. Wright later married Obama and Michelle Robinson and baptized their two daughters. ...He prayed privately with Wright before announcing his candidacy last year.

http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/obama_wri ght_farrakhan/2008/01/14/64332.html

This is not about a campaign advisor saying something stupid with racist implications, such as Geraldine Ferraro, whose comments were rejected by Hillary Clinton:

I certainly do repudiate it and I regret deeply that it was said. Obviously she doesn't speak for the campaign, she doesn't speak for any of my positions, and she has resigned from being a member of my very large finance committee.

No.  This is different.  This is about an overtly racist religious leader who guides Obama's moral code. Obama is spiritually led by a man who says that Hillary Clinton is unworthy of the presidency because she has never been called a nigger. One must question whether Obama accepts this value system. Is there any other rational explanation for his 2-decade attendance at this church? How many times has Obama attended one of Wright's poisonous sermons? Does he take his children?

Surely there must be hundreds of Christian churches in Chicago where the Obamas could worship, and hundreds of non-racist ministers from whom Barack Obama could seek spiritual guidance. But Obama prefers to follow the moral compass of a man who blames America for 9/11, preaches rabid racism, denigrates the Clintons from his pulpit to the applause of his congregation, and rewards Louis Farrakhan:

In one of his sermons, Wright said to thumping applause, "Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run! ...We [in the U.S.] believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God."

In Dec. 2007 Wright Jr. and his Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, honored Farrakhan at a gala, bestowing on him its Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Lifetime Achievement Trumpeteer award.

In the November/December issue of his church's magazine, Trumpet, Wright heaped praise on Farrakhan, whom he helped in organizing the Million Man March in Washington in 1995. Wright lauded Farrakhan as one of the giants of the African-American religious experience in the 20th and 21st centuries.

"When Minister Farrakhan speaks, black America listens," Wright said. "His depth on analysis [sic] when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye-opening. He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest."

Farrakhan has repeatedly made hate-filled statements targeting Jews, whites, America, and homosexuals. He has called whites "blue-eyed devils" and the "anti-Christ." He has described Jews as "bloodsuckers" who control the government, the media, and some black organizations.

Hailing Farrakhan's "integrity and honesty," Wright said, "His love for Africa and African-American people has made him an unforgettable force, a catalyst for change, and a religious leader who is sincere about his faith and his purpose." (see Newsmax link)

Wright thinks America was responsible for 9/11,, according to ABC:

In addition to damning America, (Wright) told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda's attacks because of its own terrorism.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation.

Obama shrugs off these assaults by Rev. Wright as  "inflammatory rhetoric." Really? That's hypocritical because Obama asks us to elect him in large part based on the power of his rhetoric.  Didn't he tell us that words cannot be understated as a source of inspiration in America for believing in ourselves, believing in hope?

ABC articulates my concerns about Obama clearly and concisely:

In a campaign appearance earlier this month, Sen. Obama said, "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said Rev. Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with," telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.

But Obama's close association with Wright over more than two decades and the minister's close ties to Farrakhan cannot be explained away so cavalierly. If Obama rejects Wright's warped view of this country, why does he continue to attend his church? If Obama disagrees with Farrakhan and his anti-Semitic and anti-white statements, why doesn't he denounce him rather than continue to associate with a minister and friend who is one of his advocates and who gave him an award for lifetime achievement? Does Obama secretly agree with some of their hate-filled, radical statements while publicly avoiding race-specific appeals as part of his candidacy?

That comports with Obama's habit of not showing up for controversial votes or tackling tough policy issues, allowing him to broaden his appeal through charisma alone. Farrakhan himself recently spoke approvingly of Obama's strategy, which is crucial to inviting whites to support him.

"Barack Obama has been very careful not to position himself as Rev. Jesse Jackson or Rev. Al Sharpton as a promoter of `The Black Cause,'" Farrakhan said in the interview with FinalCall.com. "He has been groomed, wisely so, to be seen more as a unifier, rather than one who speaks only for the hurt of black people."

At the least, Obama's membership in Wright's church and close ties to Wright himself suggest a lack of judgment and an insensitivity to views that are repugnant to the vast majority of white Americans who are not bigots or anti-Semites.

That same lack of judgment has shown up in Obama's gaffes -- threatening to invade Pakistan and offering prompt negotiations with anti-American despots. More frightening, Obama voted last August to give Osama bin Laden and other terrorists the same rights as Americans when it comes to intercepting their overseas calls in order to pick up clues needed to stop another attack.

To evaluate what Obama's ties to Wright mean, picture America's reaction if President Bush's minister, mentor, and moral compass had the views of Wright and was an admirer and supporter of Farrakhan.

"He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas," Benjamin Franklin said.

Obama may be a gifted orator, but his choice of a friend and advisor suggests he is masquerading as a moderate. While the liberal media have already decided Obama will be our next president, Americans may have a different view when they consider what his ties to Wright tell us about the presidential candidate's true opinions and character."

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4 443788&page=1

Barack Obama bloggers and other supporters are calling on Senator Hillary Clinton to concede the race for the Democratic nomination to Obama, and urging her supporters to rally 'round their candidate.  As a basis for this plea they often cite the need for "unity." They point to the racial divisions that now scar this election and their fear that the Democratic Party will be wounded for generations, or at least long enough to lose the General Election in November.  They imply that Hillary Clinton is responsible for this sad state of affairs.

My answer is: NO. I will stand by Senator Clinton until the last superdelegate makes a decision.  I will not rally around a man who preaches unity while his own pastor and spiritual adviser preaches division and bigotry.

THE LINE HAS BEEN DRAWN IN THE SAND.

[UPDATE 3/14/08 1:00 am PST] 1. To my surprise, no announcement today regarding Rev. Wright's resignation although, as I said in the post, I don't think it matters. It appears that Obama may try to dismiss the severity of this problem by pointing to Wright's recent resignation as pastor of TUCC. This of course does nothing to address the question as to why he sustained a 20-year spiritual relationship with a hateful bigot. 2. I've been unable to find information on whether the Obamas take their children to sermons at TUCC, although I saw a quote from Obama saying that he goes to church as often as possible. 3. The Obamas donated approximately $22,000 to TUCC in 2006 (link to come.)

Note:  My effort at hyperlinks has failed.  I'd greatly appreciate technical tips.

There's more...