Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11

abcnews ^ | 3/13/08 | BRIAN ROSS and REHAB EL-BURI

[MittFan08]

Obama's Pastor: God Damn America, U.S. to Blame for 9/11

Obama's Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Has a History of What Even Obama's Campaign Aides Say Is 'Inflammatory Rhetoric'

By BRIAN ROSS and REHAB EL-BURI

March 13, 2008—

Sen. Barack Obama's pastor says blacks should not sing "God Bless America" but "God damn America."

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's pastor for the last 20 years at the Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's south side, has a long history of what even Obama's campaign aides concede is "inflammatory rhetoric," including the assertion that the United States brought on the 9/11 attacks with its own "terrorism."

In a campaign appearance earlier this month, Sen. Obama said, "I don't think my church is actually particularly controversial." He said Rev. Wright "is like an old uncle who says things I don't always agree with," telling a Jewish group that everyone has someone like that in their family.

Rev. Wright married Obama and his wife Michelle, baptized their two daughters and is credited by Obama for the title of his book, "The Audacity of Hope."

An ABC News review of dozens of Rev. Wright's sermons, offered for sale by the church, found repeated denunciations of the U.S. based on what he described as his reading of the Gospels and the treatment of black Americans.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon. "God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

In addition to damning America, he told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda's attacks because of its own terrorism.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation.

Sen. Obama told the New York Times he was not at the church on the day of Rev. Wright's 9/11 sermon. "The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification," Obama said in a recent interview. "It sounds like he was trying to be provocative," Obama told the paper.

Rev. Wright, who announced his retirement last month, has built a large and loyal following at his church with his mesmerizing sermons, mixing traditional spiritual content and his views on contemporary issues.

"I wouldn't call it radical. I call it being black in America," said one congregation member outside the church last Sunday.

"He has impacted the life of Barack Obama so much so that he wants to portray that feeling he got from Rev. Wright onto the country because we all need something positive," said another member of the congregation.

Rev. Wright, who declined to be interviewed by ABC News, is considered one of the country's 10 most influential black pastors, according to members of the Obama campaign.

Obama has praised at least one aspect of Rev. Wright's approach, referring to his "social gospel" and his focus on Africa, "and I agree with him on that."

Sen. Obama declined to comment on Rev. Wright's denunciations of the United States, but a campaign religious adviser, Shaun Casey, appearing on "Good Morning America" Thursday, said Obama "had repudiated" those comments.

In a statement to ABCNews.com, Obama's press spokesman Bill Burton said, "Sen. Obama has said repeatedly that personal attacks such as this have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they're offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church. Sen. Obama does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms. Like a member of his family, there are things he says with which Sen. Obama deeply disagrees. But now that he is retired, that doesn't detract from Sen. Obama's affection for Rev. Wright or his appreciation for the good works he has done."

Click Here for the Investigative Homepage.

[Max7]

The people in that congregation have a clear choice: They can boot that so-called “preacher” (and I use the term very loosely) out on his sorry ass. But they don’t and they won’t. He is not a man of God. He is a man of god. He does not bring people closer to God, he incites them against man. He is a snake-oil salesman and I am ashamed that he represents the Gospel as he does. (Get ‘em excited - then tell-them-the-tale. They’ll believe anything.)

[dfwgator]

Get ready for Hillary’s “Sistah Souljah Moment.”

[nuconvert]

I guess this is ABC’s way of attacking the NBCObama network

[CedarDave]

And this is the preacher that has been the inspiration for Obama and whom he considers a member of his family. Certainly not a MLK Christian.

[JoanVarga]

Makes one wish for the old days of separation of Church and State... as viewed by the IRS. Sigh. No black candidate will ever get maligned for their religious endorsements, so we may as well be talking to ourselves. Oh wait.

-Joan

[FormerACLUmember]

Obama Hussein Barack actually would be better off back with the mullahs in a mosque.

They are generally not as crazy/evil as this false preacher.

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

The Rev is all about Africa. I don't understand why he doesn't pack up and go there to live since he thinks it is such a wonderful place.

My family was driven out of Russia but you don't see me calling myself a Russian American or whining about wanting to return to the Motherland.

[vietvet67]

Would be interesting to see how this preacher has benefited financially from spouting this garbage.

[ari-freedom]

obama is way ahead in delegates. the democrats are now stuck

[EyeGuy]

“Obama’s preacher says “God Damn America”.

So when will he be returning to his ancestral homeland? I’ll pay.

Has Obamative Action apologized?

Has McCain explained to conservatives that this ass is really a fine, patriotic American?

[jackv]

dittos!
Just wow. I am speechless.

[Lord_Calvinus]

***Racial politics provides a route to power and money for some.***

Yep. Who cares what you destroy on the way so long as you achieve your goals to wealth and power.

No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and mammon.

[thulldud]

Maybe, but when he says things like this you know it's a sincere, fervent prayer from his heart.

Scumbag.

[FormerACLUmember]

"God damn America" says Obama Hussein. No Ameican flags on his lapel!

[mountainlyons]

AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.

[maine-iac7]

Sen. Obama declined to comment on Rev. Wright's denunciations of the United States, but a campaign religious adviser, Shaun Casey, appearing on "Good Morning America" Thursday, said Obama "had repudiated" those comments.

No No Obama = YOU need to come right out and. unequivocally, DENOUNCE what he said: You have to salute the flag and denounce the pledge of loyalty to 'the Mother Country, Africa" and pledge loyalty to this country - RIGHT OUT LOUD.-

Won't do that, will you.

This man has had uber influence on Obama, and MIchelle, for 20 years.

Now we can see where her hatred of America and whites comes from - and if they get into the WH, before the first term is over, there will be bloodshed in the streets of America...believe it. Black Power is their goal - not the Dream of MLK, but the dream of this group - which is being picked up by countless thousands of blacks across the country.

The black leaders in this country who DO salute the flag and love America are pariahs, traitors, to this very dangerous group.

I know many want Obama to be the candidate we can beat - I think that is one giant gamble we cannot afford to take.

I do not think Hillary could win the general - she has lost to much of her base. She is too polarized. She has lost much of the woman's vote. "White males" are not going to vote for her. Blacks who worship Obama are going to have a lot of residual hate for her.

I pray we don't gamble our country away...

[Sopater]

If he’s a pastor, he should probably say “gosh darn America”.

[LS]

Ruh roh. Obama gonna spend mucho time dealing with this one. Don't think he can duck and dodge this.

I'm here in OH, and I actually think here Hillary is easier to beat. The state is trending Dem, but Hillary is HUGELY unpopular with a lot of people, where as with Obama, they'd "vote for change." Moreover, only Hillary will galvanize the GOP here, which is thoroughly demoralized.

[Wurlitzer]

"I don’t know if I would go as far as this preacher did, but I do believe that Revelation 17 and 18 may be talking about the US."

Well I guess if everything has been predicted and foretold then there must not be anything to the concept of free will.

Our destiny has been written no matter what we do. Lets party!

[RobRoy]

>>Well I guess if everything has been predicted and foretold then there must not be anything to the concept of free will.<<

Not really. If you COULD go back five years in time and therefore knew what would happen in the next five years, your experience did not nullify anybody’s free will.

I believe linear time travel, which is the condition in which we live our normal lives, is part of Gods creation. Since He also exists outside of it, He exists outside of time itelf. I think that is part of what He (and Jesus - God in the flesh) meant when He said “I AM”.

Knowing what someone is going to do does not eliminate their free will. In fact, effective negotiators use this in their favor all the time