Barack Obama and Major Garrett

UPDATE, March 18, 2008: Barack Obama's Speech on Race -- transcript

In his interview with Major Garrett on March 14, 2008, Obama said:

I think that the statements [of Rev. Wright] that have been strung together are compiled out of hundreds of sermons that he delivered over the course his lifetime. But, obviously, they are ones that are, from my perspective, completely unacceptable and inexcusable.

And if I had thought that was the tenor or tone on an ongoing basis of his sermons, then yes, I don't think that it would've been reflective of my values or my faith experience.

...I would've quit [the church].

Since this Rev. Wright thing became a full-fledged firestorm, Obama has been on a media tour, claiming that he didn't hear his pastor make such ugly statements. In his speech today, he retracts.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes.

So, he was in the church to hear Wright make controversial statements. (No, wait -- Obama said, "remarks that could be considered controversial." Apparently, Obama's "controversial" threshold is different than that of the vast majority of Americans.)

In any event, Obama's earlier denials that he heard his pastor say inflammatory things makes him look like he was engaged in cover-up. Today, he came clean, once he realized that this matter wasn't going to go away.

Obama was definitely trying to mislead the American people. Sounds like politics as usual to me. Change? What change?

_________________

Barack Obama did the unthinkable.

He actually appeared on FOX News last night, interviewed by Major Garrett, to address the controversy about his spiritual mentor Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

That's a clear indication of just how seriously the campaign is now taking the revelations about Obama's church.

What's odd is that Wright's racist, anti-Semitic, anti-American sermons aren't news. Obama has been asked about his controversial church before and his allegiance to his pastor. Obama laughed it off. He claimed to be proud of his church and called Wright an "old uncle" who sometimes says crazy things.

But the Obama campaign couldn't avoid addressing the matter directly any longer, not after ABC ran the story.

Obama's appearance on FOX did not help him. It was an embarrassment.

He was flailing. This was not the eloquent Obama.



Transcript

Garrett: I want to ask you a set of basic, sort of threshold questions about your faith experience at Trinity United Church of Christ because I think they will help Americans understand the story. So, the first question: How long have you been a member in good standing of that church?

Obama: You know, I've been a member since 1991 or '92, and... but I'd known Trinity even before then when I was a community organizer on the south side helping steelworkers find jobs, and we were organizing with churches and trying to recruit folks to get involved in that process. Trinity was one of the churches that we tried to get involved in some of these community projects.

Garrett: As a member in good standing, were you a regular attendee of Sunday services?

Obama: I won't say that I was a perfect attendee. I was regular in spurts because there were times where... For example, our child had just been born, our first child, and so we didn't go as regularly then.

Garrett: When you attended, sir, when you attended did you donate frequently?

Obama: Yes.

Garrett: OK. Were you and Michelle married there and did Rev. Wright preside?

Obama: Yes.

Garrett: Were your two daughters baptized there and did Rev. Wright preside over the baptisms?

Obama: That is correct, Major.

Garrett establishes that Obama has a long, close connection with Wright and his church.

Wright and that church is an integral part of the lives of Obama and his family.

Obama gave money to support Wright and Trinity United Church of Christ.

Garrett: Very good. I wanted to talk to you about your statement released this afternoon because earlier today when I contacted your campaign and I asked them if there was any way the campaign felt the need to add further context, add further distance between yourself and the statements of Rev. Wright, the one word answer I received was 'No.'

Then late this afternoon, you have a statement that says, 'I vehemently disagree,' 'strongly condemn.' I'm trying to understand the evolution between this morning and this afternoon. I'd like to know specifically, Senator, what you vehemently disagree with and what you strongly condemn.

Obama: Well, Major, I gotta confess that as you know I was voting in the Senate all day yesterday, so I wasn't following this story as carefully as I could have been and then I flew back to Chicago. When I saw these statments, many of which I had heard for the first time, then I thought it was important to make a very clear and unequivocal statement.

None of these statements were ones that I had heard myself personally in the pews. One of them I had heard about after I had started running for president and I put out a statement at that time condemning them.

The other statements were ones that I just heard about while we were... when they started being run on FOX and some of the other stations. And so they weren't things that I was familiar with. Once I saw them I had to be very clear about the fact that these are not statements that I am comfortable with. I reject them completely. They are not ones that reflect my values or my ideals, or Michelle's; and that had I heard them, had I been sitting in the church at the time that they were spoken, I would have been absolutely clear to Rev. Wright that I didn't find those acceptable.

The excuses are priceless.

Obama saying that he was voting all day on Thursday so he didn't know about this is an absolute joke.

It's impossible to believe that he didn't know there was a controversy. It's inconceivable.

It is conceivable that Obama is lying and doing a bad job of it.

I think it's interesting that Obama says Wright's statements don't reflect his values and they don't reflect Michelle's values. Obama went out of his way to do damage control for Michelle. That was no accident.

Wright and Michelle sound like they're on the exact same page, divisive and angry and down on America.

Garrett: Sir, would you have quit the church had you heard them personally?

Obama: You know, I guess, keep in mind that just to provide more context, this is somebody who I'd known for 20 years. Pastor Wright had been a pastor for 30 years. He's an ex-Marine. He is somebody who is a Biblical scholar, has spoken at theological seminaries all across the country from the University of Chicago to Hampton. And so he is a well-regarded preacher, and somebody who is known for talking about the social gospel.

But most of the time when I'm in church, he's talking about Jesus, God, faith, values, caring for the poor, family. Those were the messages that I was hearing. And so, you know, I think that the statements that have been strung together are compiled out of hundreds of sermons that he delivered over the course his lifetime. But, obviously, they are ones that are, from my perspective, completely unacceptable and inexcusable.

And if I had thought that was the tenor or tone on an ongoing basis of his sermons, then yes, I don't think that it would've been reflective of my values or my faith experience.

Obama says, "Most of the time when I'm in church, he's talking about Jesus, God, faith...."

"Most of the time"? What about the rest of the time? What has Obama heard Wright say?

Obama points out that Wright is an ex-Marine. How lame!

That doesn't matter. Wright spews hate. He's divisive and racist and says outrageous things about America.

Who cares that he's an ex-Marine? That doesn't give him a pass to preach such ugliness. Given Wright's remarks, it's hard to imagine that he was a Marine and served our country.

Obama notes that Wright is a Biblical scholar. Really? He must be a bad one. The things Wright says don't sound very Christian. He sounds like he's trying to incite a riot.

On what planet is the hateful Wright a "well-regarded preacher"?

He talks about Jesus and the poor. Fine. He also talks about God "damning" America.

Garrett: So quick yes or no, if you had heard them in person you would have quit.

Obama: If I had heard them repeated, I would've quit. I mean obviously, understand that, understand that, this is somebody who is like an uncle, if you have..., to me. He's somebody who helped me find Christ. And somebody who always talked to me in very powerful ways about relationship to God and our obligations to the poor. If somebody makes a mistake, then obviously, you recognize I make mistakes. We all make mistakes. If I thought that that was the repeated tenor of the church then I wouldn't feel comfortable there, but frankly that has not been my experience at Trinity United Church of Christ.

The old uncle stuff again -- good grief.

We know the tenor of the Trinity United Church of Christ.

We also know that Obama has felt comfortable there for 20 years.

Garrett: In the time we have remaining, you said that in your statement today, 'When I first heard these I was beginning my campaign,' yet you did not begin your campaign on December 4, 2007, when in a press release your campaign announced that Rev. Wright was a part of a, quote unquote, African-American religious leadership committee. I'd like you to try to help me understand the inconsistency there, because obviously if you knew about them at the beginning of your campaign and you put him on this committee later you would have been aware.

Obama: No, no. Wait, wait, Major. I didn't know about all these statements. I knew about one or two statements that had been made and as a consequence, as I said, if it was just a function of one or two statements, then that's not something that would lead me to distance myself from either my church or my pastor. And if I was gonna have a committee talking about faith issues, which we've been very active in doing all across the country, reaching out to evangelicals and talking to the church communities all across the country, it would not make sense if my own pastor wasn't on that committee.

So Obama considers Wright to be his spiritual mentor but he really doesn't know what's in his heart.

Bad, bad judgment on Obama's part.

Now Pastor Wright is retiring, and part of the reason that this is not an issue once it came to my attention that we pressed very hard was the fact that he's on the brink of retirement. He's preached his last sermon. He's taken a sabbatical. He is not going to be active in the church and has not been active in my campaign and he is no longer a part of that committee. But my judgment at the time was that this was not as problematic as what I've seen over the last couple of days.

It doesn't matter that Wright is retiring. So what?

This isn't just about the present or the future. It's about the foundation of Obama's faith. Wright has provided the foundation for the past 20 years.

Obama can keep denouncing Wright.

It appears to be nothing but political expediency.

Nothing can change the fact that Obama has been and continues to be a member of a church that preaches hate and racism. Over the years, he has given financial support to the church.

No appearances on FOX or the Sunday morning shows can change that fact.

Obama cannot rewrite his past. He can't gloss over Wright's message from the pulpit. It is what it is.

He damns himself when he says that he didn't realize his connection to Wright would be problematic.

Terrible, terrible judgment.
____________________

Sweetness and Light is a great source for links on Wright's radicalism, what Obama knew and when he knew it.