Article Added On: May 01, 2008 - 10 days ago
Title: Obama loses patience with pastor who 'undermined' his campaign
Original URL: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/obama-loses-patience-with-pastor-who-undermined-his-campaign-818165.html
Author: Leonard Doyle
Publication: The Independent
Publication Date: April 30, 2008 - 11 days ago
Faith Groups: Evangelical Christian, Mainline Protestant
Themes: religion in politics

Abstract: A visibly angered Barack Obama yesterday denounced his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, who undercut his efforts to win over white working-class voters in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A visibly angered Barack Obama yesterday denounced his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, who undercut his efforts to win over white working-class voters in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

At a hastily called press conference out on the campaign trail in North Carolina yesterday, Mr Obama said he was "outraged" by comments made by Mr Wright on Monday that he feared would provide "comfort to those who prey on hate".

"I find these comments appalling," he said. "It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am."

When earlier video clips had emerged of Mr Wright preaching that the terrorist attacks on America on 11 September 2001 were no more than "chickens coming home to roost," Mr Obama gave him the benefit of the doubt. Mr Obama said he was not in church when Mr Wright called on God to "damn America" and that the US government had created the AIDS virus to destroy "people of colour".

But Mr Obama's patience with his former pastor finally ran out on Monday when he heard him assert that the candidate's recent speech on race relations in Philadelphia had been mere political posturing.

The fallout from his 20-year relationship with the firebrand preacher from the south side of Chicago has been toxic for Mr Obama's campaign. Working-class white voters, especially women, were particularly put off by Mr Obama's long association with Mr Wright and voter's openly wondered how he could have kept going back to the same church where such sentiments were being expressed.

The controversy helped his rival, Hillary Clinton, win an important victory in Pennsylvania last week and could cause more damage in next Tuesday's two primary contests in North Carolina and Indiana.

The controversy suddenly flared up again this weekend when Mr Wright, who is retired, took to his soapbox again. He began with a low-key interview on public television, but this was followed by an incendiary address in Detroit where he described Mr Obama's efforts to distance himself as mere political posturing.

The coup de grace, as far as the Obama campaign was concerned, was a showboating appearance at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday where he seemed to mock Mr Obama's efforts to tackle racial issues. Wallowing in the media limelight, Mr Wright repeated some of his most offensive remarks and said the US government was capable of infecting the black population with Aids.

Yesterday, Mr Obama looked at tapes of Mr Wright's three performances, and he spoke out. Saying "there are no excuses" for the pastor's words, Mr Obama accused him of being disrespectful to him and to his presidential campaign. Mr Wright's remarks "offend me, they rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced," Mr Obama said. "That's what I am doing very clearly and unequivocally here today... In some ways, what Rev Wright said yesterday directly contradicts everything that I've done during my life."