World
The Wright Way
Obama mentored by anti-American, anti-Zionist black separatist.
I
n the end, it was not the lies about his
religion, but the truth about his reli-
gion that may have irrevocably splat-
tered the image of Barack Obama.
Democratic presidential frontrunner
Obama survived a malicious, viral e-mail
campaign that he was a Muslim. But can
Obama's populist candidacy survive the
truthful revelations about his 20-year rela-
tionship with spiritual adviser Jeremiah
A. Wright, the "black separatist" Christian
pastor?
The two men were and are tight — very
tight.
It was Wright's charismatic, "in your
face," African-American activism that first
brought Obama into the Trinity Church
in Chicago as a practicing Christian and
regular attendee. While away at Harvard
studying law, Obama morally tutored him-
self with tapes of Wright's fiery lectures.
Wright was a moving force in Obama's
family as well. Pastor Wright married
Obama to his wife
and baptized their
two children. The
pastor's provoca-
tive sermon, "The
Audacity of Hope
gave Obama the title
for his bestselling
book. Obama even
huddled with his
pastor for spiritual
guidance just before
announcing his
presidential bid.
Wright was given a prominent advisory
role in the campaign. The pastor is precise-
ly the mentor and close personal adviser
Obama has long declared him to be.
It seems too late to distance himself or
condemn the recently broadcast bigotry
of Wright. The real question is how a man
described by many as a leading anti-
American, anti-Israel, anti-white agitator
became Obama's closest mentor for two
decades?
The Backdrop
Exactly what is the objectionable conduct
of Wright? To begin, Wright is a close con-
fidant and supporter of Minister Louis
Farrakhan. The leader of the Nation of
Islam has called Jews "bloodsuckers;' who
practice a "gutter religion:' In 1984, Wright
accompanied Farrakhan on his controver-
A28
March 20 * 2008
sial visit Libyan strongman Col. Muammar Church from an 87-member congregation
Qaddafi.
in 1972 with a $30,000 annual budget to a
Farrakhan's and Wright's 1984 visit and
black mega-church said to boast as many
subsequent support was done precisely
as 10,000 members operating on a more
to openly ally themselves with a declared
than $9 million annual budget. In 1993,
enemy of the United
Ebony magazine
States. Why? Because
listed Wright among
these two American
its top 15 pastors. In
men of the clergy —
March 2007, Wright
Farrakhan and Wright
was honored by a
— are avowed enemies
resolution of the
of the United States.
Illinois House of
The Farrakhan-
Representatives.
Wright connection is
no distant matter of
The Divide
the turbulent '80s. As
The wide black
recently as December
acceptance of
2007, the church's
Wright's damning
Barack Obama and Pastor Wright
publication bestowed
hate rhetoric points
upon Farrakhan its
up a complete racial
highest honor, the "Dr.
disconnect with
Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.
white America
Trumpeter" Award for
that still lies just
Lifetime Achievement.
below the surface.
Wright himself
The angry world of
described Farrakhan
Wright is the embit-
in that magazine as "a
tered experience
20th and 21st Century
that most Americans
giant:' Wright heads
either don't know or
up the church publica-
would rather forget.
tion. As recently as this
That bitter legacy
Palm Sunday, March 16, the church listed
includes slavery until the Civil War and Jim
Farrakhan on its prayer list in the weekend Crow after, segregation and social torment
handout at church services.
in the 20th century, thousands of lynchings
in almost every state of the Union from
The Wright Profile
Minnesota to Mississippi continuing into
In the Farrakhan mold, Wright is a fire-
the post-World War II era and a voting
brand anti-American, anti-White, anti-
rights law that did not pass until 1965.
Zionist preacher. His pulpit statements,
Yet, the black church is vastly more than
by now widely broadcast on cable TV and
a cauldron of inspiration via rage. It is also
across the Internet, have histrionically
a place of exhilaration for a better way, a
asked followers to chant not "God Bless
new way. Obama says he represents that
America;' but "God Damn America"; to
new way; he is the apostle of "change" and
condemn Israel and Zionism for "state ter-
a torch of the new politics. Yet revelations
rorism"; denounce Washington for creating about his infusion with Wright represent
the AIDS virus as a weapon against black
his tie not to the new century, but to the
people; and to recognize that America is
decades-old politics of bitterness, rage and
controlled by "rich white people'
hate.
Immediately after the 9-11 attacks
In a political defense that now ranks
against the World Trade Center in New York with Bill Clinton's assertion that he "never
City, Wright waved his arms and almost
inhaled" and "never had sexual relations
danced, bellowing that America had
with that woman:' Barack claims he was
brought the crime upon itself.
never in the pews when Wright expressed
Despite his extremism, Wright is no
his hateful sermons.
fringe member of the African-American
But more than a year ago, in March
mainstream. He is a giant in the black
2007, Obama suddenly uninvited Wright to
community. Wright built the Trinity
offer the invocation at a major campaign
Wright's charismatic
activism brought
Obama into the
Chicago church.
event. Wright stated, "Fifteen minutes
before Shabbos, I get a call from Barack...
One of his members had talked him into
uninviting me:' Wright pointedly chose
the Yiddish term Shabbos to refer to the
Friday-night time.
Wright added, "When his enemies find
out that in 1984 I went to Tripoli with
Farrakhan, a lot of his Jewish support will
dry up quicker than a snowball in hell:'
Wright added that Obama advised, "You
can get kind of rough in the sermons, so
what we've decided is that it's best for you
not to be out there in public!'
The Takeaway
For Obama, it seems like a "lose-lose" situ-
ation. Either he has repeatedly lied to the
nation about his knowledge of Wright's
bigotry, or for 20 years he was ignorant of
his own mentor's views being broadcast
worldwide every Sunday.
The Jewish community has long self-
censored on Obama's hate links. The
Anti-Defamation League even recently
issued a press release that it was satisfied
that Obama had disavowed Wright's race
hatred and anti-Zionist fervor. But now,
in a weekend interview,
ADL National Director
Abraham Foxman says
his view is different.
"More is now known:'
says Foxman. "It is not
a casual, one-way way
relationship with Pastor
.
Abraham
Wright"
Foxman
Foxman has joined the
growing chorus of dis-
belief about Obama's ignorance. "It is very
difficult to believe that throughout these
years, Obama has been unaware of the
conspiracy, bigotry and anti-Zionist views:'
Foxman said.
While most in America are worried
about playing a race card, Barack Obama
has shown he is still carrying around a full
deck. El
Edwin Black, on assignment for the Washington
Post, was the first Jewish journalist to inter-
view Minister Louis Farrakhan as part of his
broad investigation of the Nation of Islam. This
article is adapted from a longer piece from the
Web site the Cutting Edge News at
www.thecuttingedgenews.com .