Obama's Shout-Out to Wright

UPDATE, October 2, 2012: There's more.

Here's Obama's complete speech, June 5, 2007:



Obama is a fraud. He's divisive. He in no way promotes unity. Some of what he says is racist. That's the reality.

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Barack Obama is on mission today. He wants to set the record straight about his thoughts on the heated rhetoric and divisiveness of racial politics as it's played out in the U.S. presidential primaries.

He can't do that without addressing his relationship with his pastor, the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr.

PHILADELPHIA -- Democrat Barack Obama is seeking to distance himself from statements by his longtime pastor that have aggravated racial divisions in the contentious Democratic primary battle. He is calling for both sides to tone down their rhetoric.

The Illinois senator is using a speech at a site near the nation's birthplace to present what his campaign said would be a comprehensive take on "race, politics, and unifying our country."

Among other things, the Illinois Democrat was seeking to calm the uproar over racially tinged sermons by his former pastor at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, remarks that have threatened to undercut Obama's campaign theme of easing the racial divide.

Wright had been Obama's pastor for nearly 20 years until retiring recently, and officiated at Obama's wedding and baptized his two daughters. His inflammatory statements have been cited by Obama detractors, including comments that blacks continue to be mistreated by whites and a suggestion that U.S. "terrorism" helped bring on the Sept. 11 attacks.

Obama was addressing supporters at the National Constitution Center, a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.

Jen Psaki, an Obama spokeswoman, said that Obama wanted to deliver the speech because "the issue of race has received an enormous amount of attention" over the past few weeks and "he thought it was an appropriate moment to discuss his thoughts on the issue."

Obama, seeking to be the first black U.S. president, has been calling on Democrats to look past racial divisions and to guard against intemperate rhetoric that he says has been sprouting on both sides.

We'll see how what Obama has to say fits in with this:

Chicago by krs601

From June 2007, Obama says, "I've got to give a special shout out to my pastor. The guy who puts up with me, counsels me, listens to my wife complain about me. He's a friend and a great leader."

CHICAGO (CBS) -- While Sen. Barack Obama moved quickly to distance himself from his controversial former pastor this weekend, the presidential candidate offered a "special shout out" to Rev Jeremiah Wright just last summer. Last June, Obama was speaking to black clergy at Hampton University. In the video on posted at the time on cbs2chicago.com, Obama lavished praise on Wright, talking glowingly how Wright "puts up with me, counsels me." About one minute into the video, Obama refers to Wright as "as a friend and a great leader." Obama's comments appear to indicate a deeper, more personal relationship than the Illinois senator disclosed just days ago when he denounced Wright's inflammatory sermons from the pulpit at the Trinity United Church of Christ.

It's virtually impossible for Obama to get out of this unscathed. He's on the record too many times praising Wright.