C'mon Obama, we weren't born yesterday
 

"He helped bring me to Jesus and helped bring me to church. He and I have a relationship -- he's like an uncle who talked to me, not about political things and social views, but faith and God and family."

"The statements that Rev. Wright made that are the cause of this controversy were not statements I personally heard him preach while I sat in the pews of Trinity or heard him utter in private conversation."

Obama must take us for a bunch of rubes.

Ummm..... ok. If you say so, Barack.

He must have slept through all the political preaching.

How long has he known this bigot? Ten plus years? Sure, politics never came up. Yet the bigot is the first person he thanks after being elected to the Senate.

Puts his wife's statements into perspective.

I think this kills Obama's GE chances because this will not go away. Rasmussen said this morning that his negatives are up to 49%. That's Hillary level.

I actually wonder if Wright and Ferraro aren't using their favorite candidates to try to forward their own personal political agendas. It's certainly clear they each have very passionate feelings about certain issues.

Regarding Obama, it's odd that someone running a campaign around a record of judgment/discretion couldn't possibly have chosen a church with more political liability.

Did you see that Obama is also suggesting he and Hillary just split the FL and MI delegates 50/50. He does realize that that's the same as not seating the delegates at all, right?

Is his pastor completely wrong when he says our nation is controlled by rich white people?

I agree 100% and Obama has nobody but himself to blame for associating with a bigoted hate monger.

On a bright note, I have to admit I love this. Dems look as if they'll blow it again.

Um, that's about the least offensive of his remarks.

If that was the only thing he said, he wouldn't be a bigot.

McCain's pastor:

Sooner, are you trying to justify the Reverend Wright's hate?

He is when he suggests those same rich white people invented the AIDS virus to kill black people and conspired via the drug trade to put black men into prison.

Is it wrong for the KKK to point out that black men commit a very disproportionate amount of violent crime in America?

No. I'm just saying it's a little like going after Mitt Romney over Delbert Stapley.

I do believe that Obama is smarter and more reasonable than his pastor, and I believe Obama when he says that he completely disagrees with some of his pastor's statements.

I disagree with plenty of stuff I hear at Church, and I still attend. Haven't you ever had someone say something atrocious or racist from the pulpit? I admit that it's rare, but it does happen. We have less of a problem with racism than anti-gay bigotry.

Heck, we had a member of our stake presidency say that depression is a direct result of not having the spirit. That's pretty f-ed up, IMO.

Minorities can't hate.

Only white males can.

And all of us do. All the time.

It's possible. Eyebrows were raised even a year ago when it became clear they were choosing between two of the least electable candidates in America. We all know where Hillary sits, and as much as I personally like Mr. Obama, there's no getting around the fact that he's a biracial African-American man with a Muslim middle name, an incredibly liberal voting record, and several skeletons in his closet. If McCain keeps his act together, he could actually pull off what would be regarded as a huge upset for the Republicans. It would certainly help McCain for the war to stay out of the headlines and for the economy to slow its widely perceived tanking, though.

JohnnyLingo=primitive computer program on a loop.

Obama has two problems:

1) he is so new on the scene that people are looking to find out what he is all about--that can be dangerous.

2) he thinks he can talk his way out of anything.

On Florida and Michigan, that's the best Obama can hope for. This looks like it is going to turn into a real mess. Odd that Michigan and Florida moved up so they could be more relevant, and by doing so, they did excactly what they planned in a very round about way.

So McCain will go after Obama because of Obama's minister's statements?

McCain has his own problems with minister supporters.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...=related_story

You are reading into this what you want to see.

Agreed. Heck, all you have to do is read this board to realize that many people here go to church despite totally stupid statements by various church leaders on assorted topics.

That's about the worst analogy I've ever seen. Delbert Stapley? What are we talking about here? 60s-70s Mormon views on race?

That's weak koolaid Sooner.

I only asked because you posted that video of McCain's pastor.

And I usually sleep through church, so I rarely hear anything controversial.

McCain won't say anything because he won't need to.

Wait, you got on me about going after Obama for what Wright bellows from the pulpit by saying that it's wrong to do so just because others did it to Romney.

Now you're doing it.

Obama's pastor is a bigot. How can his hate be misinterpreted?

Was Mitt Romney an official representative of the faith (missionary) while Delbert Stapley was in power?

We all know that Mitt didn't agree with Stapley, but he still listened to racist conference talks, and he didn't leave the Church over it. I think my analogy is OK.

I'm not doing it at all. Feel free to point out any place where I have criticized McCain for views held by his supporters.

This is once again why attacking someone for a view held by a leader of a church is nonsensical. Get back to me when the candidate indicates he/she supports such a view. Then I will be concerned.

That's weak koolaid as well, Cali. That isn't even McCain's pastor. You're inability to see the difference puzzles me.

Here's the deal Cali and Sooner. American's don't like being told that 9-11 was the "chickens come home to roost" or to have anyone say "God damn America." That may fly in some "blame America first" blue states, but the polls aren't being friendly to your messiah. Rasmussen has McCain up on Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Maybe Hillary is more electable.

I agree that it would be good for McCain if Iraq and the economy were not front page.

If the Democrat party implodes, I will laugh.

Ok, you're not criticizing McCain himself, but you are playing the "his pastor is a dickhead too" game.

Whether or not he agrees is irrelevant at this point. His continued association with Mr. Wright as well as appointing him to a position in his campaign raises big questions Obama's judgement.

A better vetting process might have been in order.

It is "weak" because it doesn't support your ridiculously narrow view of the topic.

Does it matter that McCain spoke at Liberty University, a university run by Jerry Falwell (need I remind you what he has said?) or that he noted he would accept an invitation to speak at Bob Jones University if invited? It seems worse to me that McCain would do that, knowing what those universities stand for (he articulated what they stand for in 2000- racism and intolerance) than it is that Obama attended a church with no proof that he realized the depth of intolerance of his pastor.

Oh please. With such a silly statement, you have disqualified every single politician in America from the presidency. Do you honestly believe McCain hasn't appointed intolerant individuals in his campaign? Look at his association with Jerry Falwell for starters.

Well then, Obama must be the most clueless man in America.

Yes- to point out the total stupidity of the game (which could be played with McCain, Romney, Bush, Reagan, Clinton and anyone else in modern history). Obama has rejected Wright's comments. Get back to me when he endorses them.

You didn't even attempt to respond with respect to McCain. At least try to have an honest conversation.

Wow, you are really playing a good game tonight Cali.

It's worse that McCain would speak at those universities because of their hateful views, than it is that Obama associates with a man who is just as bigoted because there's no proof that Obama didn't realize what a bigot Wright is?

How could he not know?

Thanks for the laugh. It helped to ease the tension.

Yes, it is.

As the facts are known:

Situation 1: Person knows an organization is hateful and racist, then accepts their invitation to speak and accepts the endorsement of the promoter of the organization.

Situation 2: Person does not know extent of racist and hateful statements made, is affiliated with that organization, discovers extent of statements, disavows statements.

Why is it so funny that situation 2 isn't as bad as situation 1?

It's funny because you are trying to justify Obama being associated with a known bigot.

This was a conversation about Obama and his poor judgement and outright preveracations. I can see why you and Sooner want to change the subject.

When one says that as an excuse for why black people cannot elevate their social/financial status it is utter BS. There are a lot of poor people, including immigrants who started with no money and knowing barely a word of English, who have done quite well for themselves and their families.

I disagree.

I don't think it's fair to compare people who were enslaved and beaten down by jim crow laws to immigrants. Even today, whites are more likely to mistreat or fear blacks than to mistreat Chinese or German or even Mexican immigrants.