Obama talks about Wright and wrong

CNN:

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Obama admitted he had sat in church and heard his former minister Jeremiah Wright make controversial remarks.

"Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely -- just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed."

The remarks that caused the most recent firestorm "were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity," Obama said.

Obama said that if he knew Wright only through the clips played on television and YouTube, he, too, would see reason to distance himself from the former minister.

"But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man," he said.

"As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me," Obama said, after describing his experience at the Trinity United Church of Christ.

Obama insisted he was not trying to justify Wright's comments.

"The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through -- a part of our union that we have yet to perfect," he said.

Obama said Wright's mistake was not that he spoke of racism in our society -- "it's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress had been made."

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This appears to be inconsistent with his statement last Friday that he did not hear these inflammatory statements. It is not Wright's statements on racism that have caused the problem it is his racist statements. Wright is the racist that is the problem and Obama tries to turn this into something else.

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Obama was not, as some reports placed him, in attendance the day Wright delivered his controversial comments, according to his campaign. But it would be difficult for him to distance himself completely from the retired minister of the Chicago church where Obama has worshipped for two decades. Watch the latest on Obama's former minister »

The title of Obama's 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope," came from a sermon delivered by Wright, who officiated the senator's wedding, baptized both of his children and was a spiritual adviser to his presidential campaign until Friday.

Sen. Hillary Clinton and her campaign have publicly steered clear of any criticism of Obama over the issue, saying it's one for the senator to address. But that restraint has not diminished the uproar over Wright's comments, which have become a YouTube phenomenon.

Obama -- who initially tried to downplay the remarks -- denounced them again Monday. "The statements that were the source of controversy from [the] Rev. Wright were wrong, and I strongly condemn them," he said on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, though he added, "I think the caricature that is being painted of him is not accurate."

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While Wright is not defending his remarks, his church and the church hierarchy has been defending the racist remarks. this controversy has stripped the veil from a pervasive black racism that runs through some churches under the guise of black liberation theology. It tends to ascribe racism to every misfortune that happens to blacks rather than recognize that we all have set backs from time to time that we have to overcome. This creates both anger and an excuse for accepting failure that is destructive to the black community. That Obama is rejecting this message is to his credit. The black ministers who have been haranguing him for not defending the black racism need to take a breath and another look inside their souls.