Wouldn’t you know it, not only is Obama surprised to find his friend of 20 years spouting the sort of rhetoric for which he’s famous in Chicago for spouting, but Pfleger himself sounds surprised. Amazing how much he and his circle of confidants managed to miss about their own behavior over the past few, er, decades.

“As I have traveled this country, I’ve been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us. That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger’s divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn’t reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause,” Obama said in a statement…

Response of Rev. Michael L. Pfleger of statements made during a sermon on Sunday, May 25, 2008[:]

“I regret the words I chose on Sunday. These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama’s life and message, and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them.”

I wonder if either of them even read those statements before they were put out. This little kerfuffle provides us with the first evidence I’ve seen, incidentally, of pro-Hillary lefties softening a bit on Obama. Check out the refrain at Talk Left about how Pfleger, whose endorsement until recently was featured on Barry O’s “faith” webpage, “has nothing to do with Barack Obama.” Exit question: Does the following clip have nothing to do with him either? It’s Pfleger again, at Trinity again a few months ago, lying through his teeth in vintage Team Obama fashion about what Bill Clinton meant with his “fairy tale” comment and then proceeding to offer the same defense of Wright — that the soundbites don’t represent the real man — that Obama himself once did. Before, that is, he figured out that they do. “Surprise” again.

Update: Carpe diem, Howard Wolfson.

“Divisive and hateful language like that is totally counterproductive in our efforts to bring our party together and have no place at the pulpit or in our politics. We are disappointed that Senator Obama didn’t specifically reject Father’s Pflegler’s dispicable [sic] comments about Senator Clinton, and assume he will do so.”