Source: Wright’s taking revenge on Obama for betraying their friendship; Update: Pfleger mediating
posted at 11:15 am on April 30, 2008 by Allahpundit
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The Gingrich hypothesis vindicated? We’ll know at Wright’s next public speech, when Obama becomes Peter denying “Jesus” three times before the media cocks crowed.
“After 20 years of loving Barack like he was a member of his own family, for Jeremiah to see Barack saying over and over that he didn’t know about Jeremiah’s views during those years, that he wasn’t familiar with what Jeremiah had said, that he may have missed church on this day or that and didn’t hear what Jeremiah said, this is seen by Jeremiah as nonsense and betrayal,” said the source, who has deep roots in Wright’s Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter…
The source noted that the roots of Wright’s disillusionment with Obama began last year after the Illinois senator unexpectedly yanked him from participating in the public announcement of his presidential campaign.
“That’s why Jeremiah revealed … that he had actually been at the [announcement] hotel and prayed privately with the Obama family before the official declaration,” the source told The Post…
The source added, “After 20 years of loving Barack like he is one of their own, after he was embraced by this congregation as a brother in Christ, after his pastor was a father figure to him and gave him credibility in a city he had not grown up in and in a black community that was suspect of someone from Hawaii and Harvard, he thanks him by not allowing him to speak publicly at his announcement last year?
“A lot of people in the church believe they were there for this man when no one else was, and a lot of people don’t believe it any more when Obama claims he loves the man who did so much for him,” the source added.
Any reason to believe this? Yeah. The NYT’s two pieces on Obama and Wright from March and April of last year, respectively, both mention Wright’s hurt feelings at being disinvited from Obama’s campaign launch. From the former: “Mr. Wright expressed disappointment but no surprise that Mr. Obama might try to play down their connection.” From the latter: “In March, Mr. Wright said in an interview that his family and some close associates were angry about the canceled address, for which they blamed Obama campaign advisers but that the situation was ‘not irreparable’…” Not irreparable yet, anyway. There’s a discrepancy as to which of them suggested to the other that some “distancing” may be in order — the very end of the April piece makes it sound like Wright proposed the idea — but that’s not inconsistent with a grudge metastasizing over time, especially after Obama’s anti-Wright media tour last month.
Exit question: Chris Matthews’s leg told him yesterday that being on Wright’s bad side only makes Obama that much more sympathetic, but it all depends on how Wright plays it, doesn’t it? If he follows the Matthews template and starts taking potshots then, yeah, Obama gets to be the wounded Bambi. But what if Wright goes on Charlie Rose or wherever and speaks softly about how hurt he is by the fact that one of his “children,” who never had an unkind word to say about his ministry before, would sell him out for political advantage? Maybe with a requisite tear or two? There’s no more exalted status in an Oprahfied America than victimization. Own it, rev.
Update: Who’s the man to put the pieces back together? Why, Michael “Snuff you like a rat” Pfleger, of course.
CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine reports Obama felt betrayed and Wright felt sand-bagged. Father Michael Pfleger of St. Sabina Church said he has been speaking to both men as the events of the past 24 hours unfolded.
He counseled Obama Tuesday morning, and while CBS 2 talked to him Tuesday evening, Rev. Wright called his cell phone.
“I don’t think he had any intention to hurt Barack. He loves Barack,” Pfleger said. “I think the pain and the moment took over.”
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I ran out of popcorn… now I’ll start eating cheetos.
AbaddonsReign on April 30, 2008 at 11:19 AM
Revenge?
You mean like in Wright’s sermon on 9/16/01 where he claimed the U.S. was seeking revenge?
The man couldn’t be that petty….could he?
Limerick on April 30, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Is the conspiracy disproved, then? I’m not given to suspecting such things but it sure looked like the Amy Holmes scenario was playing out.
Hannibal Smith on April 30, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Allah, for an atheist, you have a pretty good knowledge of the Bible, better than some Christians I know.
txsurveyor on April 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM
Wright may be whack a doodle, but he probably isn’t completely stupid. He’s probably more than willing to public perform whatever role will help provide Obama the best advantage from the situation, with the eye on the potential payoff of having connection and influence should the whole smoke and mirrors sham actually work.
For this reason, to either believe or even seriously consider anything coming out of either Barry or Jerry’s mouths at this point is the height of folly.
Wind Rider on April 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM
This reminds me of a Greek tragedy. This is a sorry episode in politics. Ripe for a movie.
MadisonConservative on April 30, 2008 at 11:22 AM
Or starts spouting off that Obama was in Church when he was preaching and was nodding along in agreement.
SCGOPgirl on April 30, 2008 at 11:23 AM
You would think that Wright is Obama’s friend, and wants him to get elected President, jokes that he could be the VP.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Obama told Wright to make some more controversial comments, so that Obama can later come out and say that he disagrees with these new ones - to be able to have ownership of the controversy.
Wright gets to say what he believes in his heart, gets to fire up his supporters and sweeten whatever deal for a book, speaking fees whatever, and Obama gets to distance himself from the remarks with yet another public condemnation and ‘prove to moderate voters’ that he is more in line with their views, and Wright chuckles under his breath that their little scheme worked.
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
After all, As Wright said, Obama is just a politician who said ‘what he needed to say.’
wise_man on April 30, 2008 at 11:23 AM
Huh? “I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
geckomon on April 30, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Heh. So true.
Spirit of 1776 on April 30, 2008 at 11:24 AM
From Wright’s viewpoint? Justified.
He was his Pastor, his spiritual mentor… Barry even used one of his sermons as a source material for his book… he was one of the Liberationist flock…
and is now a heretic and disavows that belief system…
Barry is toast.
Romeo13 on April 30, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Wright has his eye on the prize.
Heaven? Of course not.
He wants some of the shakedown business Jackson & Sharptongue get.
jgapinoy on April 30, 2008 at 11:26 AM
Props to Shelby Steele. He saw this coming a year ago. Barack’s private (angry-black) world was going to collide with his public political (post-racial) world, and it wasn’t going be pretty. And because Barack would wait too long to cut himself off from people like Rev. Wright, he’d miss his chance to be the first post-racial President. He would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Shelby Steele couldn’t have predicted it more accurately if he had a time machine.
RBMN on April 30, 2008 at 11:27 AM
The pay is pretty good, jgapinoy.
wise_man on April 30, 2008 at 11:27 AM
I’ve been waiting for some of the “sleepers” in the Wright Church to decamp and start singing to the media(the ones we constantly see cheering ravenously over his racist rants. The poor darlings are no doubt conflicted: on the one hand, “must.support.jerry.our.leader…” on the other: “our first black president! and a REAL black President, not Billy Jeff dacrackuh!”
i predict we’ll see many more leave the fold of JW to follow the true Messiah….
max1 on April 30, 2008 at 11:28 AM
As long as it isn’t Oreos. My father always said warm cola and Oreos were a sure sign of abject poverty. (maybe because we were dirt poor, drank warm pop, and Mom bought Oreos for us).
Oh, and one of these men (Wright or Obama) will be brought down by this, and it is quite interesting to see which one.
p40tiger on April 30, 2008 at 11:28 AM
FREDRIC U. DICKER is a damn good reporter who exposed NY-Mayors’ sex-scandals before anyone else.
Anita on April 30, 2008 at 11:28 AM
This has the potential to blow a huge hole in Obama’s campaign. No reasonable person doubts that Obama was aware of Wright’s comments over the years. It would also be reasonable for a person to conclude that Obama was sitting in the pews for at least some of the sermons that he now says he disavows. But Mr Obama has now publicly disavowed the offensive speech, which puts down a marker. Fine.
But if Wright and the congregation feel betrayed, all it takes is for a half dozen people to talk to the press and put Obama in those pews. All it will take is for Wright to throw a little more dirt in Obama’s direction so as to call into question the truthfulness of Obama’s most recent statements. Then he’s really sunk. Then we can dispense with the theatrics and the emperor will indeed be shown to have no clothes.
moxie_neanderthal on April 30, 2008 at 11:28 AM
If this was a sitcom, I’d change the channel.
Connie on April 30, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Easy. Since the race card’s not available, he’ll play the victim card.
Byron York points out where it leads from here:
petefrt on April 30, 2008 at 11:33 AM
Hell hath no fury as an anti-American, racist, hate-mongering spiritual advisor scorned…
tommylotto on April 30, 2008 at 11:33 AM
It’s more like the show, “Smash Lab,” on the Discovery Channel.
RBMN on April 30, 2008 at 11:34 AM
I ran out of popcorn… now I’ll start eating cheetos.
Nah, weather’s getting nice. Fire up the barbecue!
Seriously, Barry’s entire campaign has been about three things: his outsider status, his post-racial world view, and his innate ability to make the proper judgments on issues that can lead the country to a better place. Well, this whole Wright fiasco pretty much tears two of those legs out from under that stool no matter which way (”I didn’t know”/”I’m NOT just another Chicago pol”) Obama tries spinning it.
TC@LeatherPenguin on April 30, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Wright and Obama’s interests are increasingly becoming diametrically opposed. Obama needs to push Wright away from the sinking raft but in so doing, he will likely be perceived by his congregation and community as aligning his world-view with the mainstream. When this occurs, Wright will increasingly see it in his self interest to push back and stick it to the man (Obama). Wright should feel betrayed because it was reasonable for him to conclude that Obama shared his world view.
How long until we hear the “house negro” line of disparaging remarks come out of Obama’s church or community?
moxie_neanderthal on April 30, 2008 at 11:35 AM
So, who threw whom under the bus first?
This just gets better and better each day. :)
Conservative_SAHM on April 30, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Disown Rev Wright: check
Anyone know when he’s giving the “disavow the black community speech?”
moxie_neanderthal on April 30, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Thunderdome, baby. Yeah.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on April 30, 2008 at 11:42 AM
For a supposed “Man of God, Pastor, Reverend” He’s not turning the other cheek is he?
I wouldn’t call Wright stupid but he had to know, without being told, that he is a neutron bomb for a Presidential campaign.
I guess he’s just misguided and blinded by hate.
Geronimo on April 30, 2008 at 11:43 AM
The revenge theory makes perfect sense. What Wright is saying now is nothing new, Barry embraced it for 20 years, and to pretend it was otherwise is a flat out lie.
That being said, I don’t see Wright successfully playing the sympathy card.
Buy Danish on April 30, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Hell hath no fury like a Black Liberation Theology preacher scorned.
I do feel the Right Rev. Wrong’s actions are real and based upon the rejection by a man he mentored and helped to grow politically (through giving Barry street cred though the rev’s ‘church’). This could get real ugly, which will in turn make it quite the reality tv.
RickZ on April 30, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Switching between all the morning shows and everyone is trying to victimize Barry and demonize Jeremy. Surprise of all was Cathy Crosby who claimed Barry should have known all along, but still called him brilliant. The American public isn’t buying the victim line and the networks know it.
Blood in the water. An American tradition.
Limerick on April 30, 2008 at 11:44 AM
I really don’t want a “wounded Bambi” for President. I’ve seen Bambi versus Godzilla too many times.
NeighborhoodCatLady on April 30, 2008 at 11:46 AM
Please, people. This is just a big con job.
Have you ever seen any black preacher say things about whitey in front of whitey (like at the National Press Club). Think.
Wright said a year ago, that Obama would likely have to disown him after the primaries. Yesterday, on Greta’s show, a black pastor friend of Wright’s said that Wright expected this to happen, just not until the general election.
Just theater. Just words. Just a con job on the American people.
faraway on April 30, 2008 at 11:50 AM
It doesn’t matter. Obama is either a fool or a liar regarding some very fundamental issues around race and patriotism. The only people who’ll buy whatever mitigation strategy that’s developed will be those looking for an excuse to back Obama anyway.
TheBigOldDog on April 30, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Exit answer: I think we call this progress?
locomotivebreath1901 on April 30, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Let me just say, if this was a put up job, Obama is the biggest idiot on the planet and I’d have to wonder how somebody that stupid could have possibly gone to the best Prep school in Hawaii and received 2 degrees from ivy league institutions.
TheBigOldDog on April 30, 2008 at 11:55 AM
yo dog, Obama had no other choice.
faraway on April 30, 2008 at 11:58 AM
Louis Farrakhan? Maybe not at the National Press Club, but certainly in a public forum.
Buy Danish on April 30, 2008 at 11:59 AM
The excellence of these events go beyond getting open borders advocate John McCain into the White House (sarc for the sarc impaired). If Obama loses this election, we now have a reply to people who would claim white racism lost Obama the election. We can say that the black leadership handicapped Obama at every opportunity and the message will get through to your average Joe and average Rowena black person.
thuja on April 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Which makes me eagerly anticipate Michelle O’s comments on Wright and what he stands for.
a capella on April 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM
How so? Barry needs to moderates and independents. Are you trying to say that those moderates and independents will be comforted by his repudiation of Wright instead of being disillusioned by his 20 year relationship with him?
Limerick on April 30, 2008 at 12:02 PM
I may be a con job attempt but it does become a huge distraction that won’t sit well with middle America. It doesn’t matter who the American people believe or dislike. The fact that there is a very public feud between Bambi and his pastor with the underlying subject matter being so distasteful won’t help during a campaign for the White House.
libhater on April 30, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Been clicking like crazy trying to get the news on that.
Limerick on April 30, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Second look at Chris Matthews’ fat leg!
Chuck Schick on April 30, 2008 at 12:04 PM
Moderates and independents will now be told by the msm that this issue is over and Obama took a tough stand. The speech was aimed at the media.
faraway on April 30, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Gee, too bad Tony Rezko is on trial. B.O. could have called in some favors, maybe had Tony send a couple of da boyz and have dem place a horse’s head in da reverend’s bed, just to send him a friendly message
pilamaye on April 30, 2008 at 12:07 PM
This is where two egos meet, its.on.
The good Rev has two decades of juicy tidbits to share just eating away at him, will he sit on them when his pocket Senator has publicly betrayed him?
Oh, Baby this is going to be good.
Speakup on April 30, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Yo faraway he certainly did. They didn;t need to sell the DVDs to the press. Wright didn;t need to do a press tour just as the story was dying. Wright didn’t need to be so strident. Again, if this was a put up job somebody better check Obama for a brain tumor because he’s lost his common sense.
TheBigOldDog on April 30, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Must be the white devil blood in him.
James on April 30, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Revenge? Yeah I can believe it. Having seen his behavior not only at the Press Club, NAACP meeting and Dallas but also on YouTube and the church’s website . . . it makes perfect sense. The guy’s an arrogant blowhard and the last thing you can ever do to an arrogant blowhard is call him an arrogant blowhard.
I just glad he ain’t my parson.
srhoades on April 30, 2008 at 12:27 PM
I hope you are right AP. The cynic in me says this is just a ploy for Obama to slam Wright. Didn’t TUCC hire a PR firm? You know wink, wink, nod, nod.
chief on April 30, 2008 at 12:30 PM
No.
It doesn’t make any difference at all.
Because despite anyone’s spin, in the end and as it settles, it’s not about Wright, it’s about Obama.
And it’ll boil down to simply that either Obama is an idiot or a liar. There are no other choices.
Typhoon on April 30, 2008 at 12:36 PM
The reason the left finally turned on Wright is because of the comment about Cheney’s non military service meaning he isn’t patriotic. They would have loved that comment four years ago, and it was a favorite talking point of the left back then, but now they need for everyone to forget that narrative because Obama chose to be a junkie in his young adult life instead of joining the military, and he is running against a war hero.
Wright isn’t trying to hurt Obama on purpose. He just speaks his sick mind and he isn’t politically astute.
Buddahpundit on April 30, 2008 at 12:39 PM
Now there is a danger of Obama being painted as an ‘Uncle Tom’?? (do any of the Toms out there kind of resent that phrase?) That would be an incredible turn of events; it would not get him any sympathy either, since a lack of loyalty would cast doubt on those who might sympathize.
Good Lord; there’s a chance here that the Dems will end up looking fondly back on McGovern after this one!
michaelo on April 30, 2008 at 12:39 PM
They say Karl Marx memorized the whole New Testament.
samuelrylander on April 30, 2008 at 12:40 PM
I can buy that Wright feels betrayed by Obama, seeing as how he was betrayed by Obama. Even the NY Post’s source doesn’t go quite as far as to say Wright is looking to kneecap Obama’s campaign in retaliation, though. It’s a stretch to think that Wright would want to be forever known in the black community, or any community, as the guy who killed the candidacy of the would-be first black president.
If Wright really wants to hurt Obama’s campaign he’ll go in this direction. The fact that Wright hasn’t called Obama out directly for his betrayal should be a clue about his true intentions. Wright is just doing the only thing he knows how to do - preaching his hateful, goofy gospel.
RightOFLeft on April 30, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Funny you should ask…
If Clinton wins Indiana by 10 or more pts Obama will get blown away by a McGovern-esque margin in the fall.
moxie_neanderthal on April 30, 2008 at 12:58 PM
The only way to make money on shakedown is if there is not a black president in the White House.
I believe that the Rev. Wright does not consciously want to hurt Obama’s chances to be president. However, unconsciously, he knows that if a black man, especially one from his own flock, becomes POTUS the hate and hurt that he, Rev. Wright, has built his life and church upon is proved wrong.
This is the same reason I don’t think we will see members of Trinity leaving the church. If Obama becomes POTUS it destroys their world-view. People unconsciously self sabotage themselves all the time.
talking_mouse on April 30, 2008 at 1:00 PM
So, who’s going to mediate between Obama and Ayers and Obama and Dohrn next month?
funky chicken on April 30, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Gingrich is just selling tickets to the charade, which is a damn shame.
funky chicken on April 30, 2008 at 1:03 PM
Didn’t Wright say something about wanting to “come after” Obama if he was elected, presumably to influence President Obama (God forbid) to enact the Wright agenda? If Wright is truly vindictive about being “disowned” by Obama, for political reasons obvious to most people but which may escape a nutcase like Wright, he might not wait until the election. This could get VERY interesting!
If Wright were smart, he would know that his vicious, lying rants are poison to Obama’s campaign, and he would cancel all public appearances until the election, so that his protege might be elected President. But what if Wright is deluded enough to believe that he speaks the word of God and cannot be silenced for political expediency, he could deliberately undermine Obama to avenge Obama’s “betrayal”. If Wright continues to go public, Obama will follow in the footsteps of Dukakis and McGovern next November.
Obama says that he has known Wright for “almost 20 years”, and that Wright married the Obama couple and baptized their children. Since Obama is 46 years old, he has followed Wright for most of his adult life. Since Obama was abandoned by his real father as a toddler and by his stepfather in Indonesia, who was Obama’s role model and mentor, other than Wright? If Obama is forced to abandon Wright for political reasons, does anyone know what Obama really believes? Does Obama even know?
Steve Z on April 30, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Steve Z
great question. and how can we tell what the hell he believes? he hangs around with nutters and terrorists, but we should think all that “change” he wants to bring will be beneficial? no thanks
funky chicken on April 30, 2008 at 1:13 PM
I think Obama made the fatal mistake of claiming to be post racial.
Early on in his political career he made to choice of choosing one side over the other instead of being his own man. When you do that you elevate one side while at the same time pushing down the other.
He decided to elevate his black side all the while pushing down his other half. Must be why it was so easy to throw his grand mother under the bus but had such a hard time throwing the rev under.
You cannot be post racial and pick a side you choose to identify with. Obama tried to hide it and now his “chickens are coming home to roost” so to say. He has no way to tap dance out of it.
Shelby Steele had it dead on all along.
I put the blame for this on Obama and the Black community. Obama for deciding to betray part of himself and the Black community for not accepting him for who he was, by saying he was not authentic. In a sense they made him the “great black hope” instead of just the “great hope”.
jharada on April 30, 2008 at 1:17 PM
Pfleger said. “I think the pain and the [bowel] moment took over.”
fixed…it was out of context…
max1 on April 30, 2008 at 1:26 PM
Oreos? What are you implying by using that term?
jgapinoy on April 30, 2008 at 1:28 PM
I have a different guess of why Wright would feel back stabbed.
Did he maybe retire from the church after consulting with Obama about how Wright would be used in the campiagn? They didn’t want to get the churchs tax-exempt status in trouble. So now that Obama has decided to get rid of Wright, he retired for nothing.
SkyWatch on April 30, 2008 at 1:28 PM
Next week on Meltdown: video of a whiny Father Michael Pfleger, throwing his tantrum about JWright and Farrakhan and whomever.
Anyone else notice that he looked just like Senator Pansy Graham during that little hissyfit?
Jaibones on April 30, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Cite, please.
DrSteve on April 30, 2008 at 2:15 PM
Mikey the Muslim Priest or Pansy Graham?
Separated at birth?
Jaibones on April 30, 2008 at 2:17 PM
If Wright gets too upset, I’m sure he can pull all manner of garbage out of Obama’s can. The question is, what does Wright want for keeping silent?
NNtrancer on April 30, 2008 at 2:27 PM
That’s right. It took over 20 years and now the roosting chickens are pooping on the henhouse roof.
whitetop on April 30, 2008 at 2:27 PM
If it turns into a grudge match, my money is on the bombers.
moxie_neanderthal on April 30, 2008 at 2:40 PM
The reason he went to Wright and not Pfleger.
Chakra Hammer on April 30, 2008 at 2:56 PM
Obama should have used the PA speech to stop the cycle of multi-cultural people from having to go though these types of “hazing rituals”, and NOT in a way to gain sympathy either but to actually try and help people in the future.
Stop the cycle of victimhood.(”Oh he’s not black enough”,”He’s not one of us” thats the stuff that needs to be abolished and condemned)
If he really would have took on these issues in the PA speech then it really would have been something.
Chakra Hammer on April 30, 2008 at 3:03 PM
” I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community”.
irongrampa on April 30, 2008 at 4:18 PM
Mmmmmmm…popcorn good, it is.
SouthernGent on April 30, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Now, he should have went on to explain why he needed to gain “credibility” in black community in the first place..
Damn, a Black man with a Harvard law degree and he has to do something to “gain credibility” with a certain community?(Whats wrong here? Something in that culture sounds like success is being punished, frowned upon, or envied)
Ask some questions about the culture in such a community where things like this exist, is it because of his multi-culture heritage, his education or speech patterns?
We see that if a Black person is a conservative that they aren’t considered “black” by some or that they lose a certain percentage of melanin content and are open to attacks and ridicule…
Chakra Hammer on April 30, 2008 at 6:16 PM