Full text of Obama's speech this morning (1 Viewer)

This is his "Checkers" speech. It will be on every news channel, perhaps the free network channels, and the Travel Channel and Animal Planet.

The essential paragraph relates to his "former" minister, to wit, "if you knew the man as I know him, you'd love him too."

The speech is boffo; it had to be. Redemption reclaimed, a political campaign salvaged. Will Reverend Wright deliver the invocation at the swearing-in ceremony? I would certainly hope so.
 
ive been getting the impression Obama thinks he can or does not ever do any wrong or never has lapses in judgment.

if i were in a church and the sermon went in the direction of any of the ones i hear the Pastor take them i would have rose from my seat and walked out - i sure wouldnt continue to support the church and would encourage other parishioners to find a better church - but since im not religous i would just dismiss this Pastor as a nutjob, and surely wouldnt involve my family in anyway with his life. beliefs.
 
The essential paragraph relates to his "former" minister, to wit, "if you knew the man as I know him, you'd love him too."

That could be said for many folks. If we were all judged based on a capsule of our very worst moments, we'd all be reviled.

Back to SaintJ's OP: based on the text alone, it's his best speech yet. Acknowledged the lingering elements of racism in our barber shops, beauty parlors, and churches. Admitted the impossibility of excising imperfections from church and society in general, esp. when we act as though such imperfections don't or shouldn't exist. Addressed Wright's fallacy in thinking that our society is static. Addressed the undercurrent of resentment amongst conservative white Dems. Emphasized the importance of self-help while insisting that government can do its part to lend a hand. Even tipped a conciliatory hat to poor Geraldine. Best of all, tied it together into hope.

In short, it dotted all i's and crossed all t's. I'm rather moved.
 
Money quote:

"But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all."

Sister Souljah moment?
 
Absolutely outstanding speech. Easily the most substantive I've ever heard Obama give. I don't know exactly what I expected, honestly not a ton. I figured it would be fairly ordinary, but I think, strictly because of it's content as opposed to it's delivery (which is kind of the inverse for Obama), this was pretty close to a "home run".

My sole nitpicking complaint is, like most Obama speeches, it was longer then it needed to be :hihi:

I thought he did everything right with this though. Great speech.
 
This man moved in Indonesia at the age of two, and returned to the American mainland at 20, in 1984. We all have the stain of racism upon us, and our own experiences. A man educated at the best private school in Hawaii, Oberlin college, Columbia, and Harvard law is giving us a lecture from effectively a detached academic perspective.

We fought a Civil war at the cost of 600,000 lives and in a sense, are still fighting. Obama's speech should focus on his minister and the propriety of continuing such a relationship into the teeth of a Presidential campaign. I don't need nor particularly want to address whether the Founding Fathers were "closet crackers". We got that memo. It's inculcated from primary school forward, to the extent that we learn anything about them. What, precisely, is Thomas Jefferson known for today? He owned and boffed the help.

The "capsule of our very worst moments" is not important. I simply want to know if Obama desires to be President of the United States to work in its self-interest. Not Kenya, not Indonesia, not the United States of AmeriKKKa.
 
This is his "Checkers" speech. It will be on every news channel, perhaps the free network channels, and the Travel Channel and Animal Planet.

The essential paragraph relates to his "former" minister, to wit, "if you knew the man as I know him, you'd love him too."

The speech is boffo; it had to be. Redemption reclaimed, a political campaign salvaged. Will Reverend Wright deliver the invocation at the swearing-in ceremony? I would certainly hope so.

Comparing this to the Checkers speech? lm**ao.

Part of leadership is being able to deal with ugly truths. Yes, it was only a speech, but since neither he nor McCain nor Clinton is yet president, that's pretty much what we have to go on right now, isn't it? Isn't a presidential campaign nothing more or less than a trial run for demonstrations of ultimate leadership potential?

Meanwhile, I'm dying here realizing how much this is killing you. Don't deny it, it's coming out of your e-pores.:smilielol:
 
Sister Souljah moment?

I think simply Obama recognizing what, unbelievably, many people on this forum failed too, that Wright's comments were indeed "too far", divisive, and not in keeping with Obama's tone or message.
 
Meanwhile, I'm dying here realizing how much this is killing you. Don't deny it, it's coming out of your e-pores.:smilielol:

Oho yeah, behind the facade of lofty, euridite rhetoric one can easily read between the lines. "Blessed with mulatto coloring" indeed. Amerikkka, working for Kenya, yeah there have been some doozies. There have been several comments insinuating that he maybe not completely *nod* *wink* American. :shrug:
 
I think simply Obama recognizing what, unbelievably, many people on this forum failed too, that Wright's comments were indeed "too far", divisive, and not in keeping with Obama's tone or message.

I think most of us recognized it, and were curious to see what he'd do with it. He went a little further than Jesse's famous "repudiate the message" toss-line.

If this speech ends up carrying real weight, it stands the risk of being the first day of the shutdown of some cottage industries in race-baiting on both ends of the spectrum. I can't believe that would be a bad result for anybody.

Although some commentators might think it's the exact same thing as Nixon talking about his dog.
 

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