"You know, I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992. I have known Reverend Wright for almost 20 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church.
They certainly don't portray accurately my values and beliefs. And if Reverend Wright thinks that that's political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn't know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought, either.
Now, I've already denounced the comments that had appeared in these previous sermons. As I said, I had not heard them before. And I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church."
[snip]
"What we saw yesterday out of Reverend Wright was a resurfacing and, I believe, an exploitation of those old divisions."
We get these points from the repudiation:
- Wright acted like a different man when Obama sat in the pews.
- Hence, Wright's current diatribes are not the voice of Obama's religion.
- Moreover, Obama's claiming that Wright's behavior is not like the greater Black church experience.
- Obama was trying to be nice and respectful to his "crazy uncle" Wright throughout the campaign and especially in the Philadelphia speech. But since Wright repaid the courtesy with selfish rudeness, Obama is no longer going to tolerate him.
- The 'exploitation' line is my favorite because it sounds like Obama is painting Wright as a newly born Al Sharpton - someone who now has tasted the limelight and won't go away.
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