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.

[Eric Blair 2084]

I don’t want them to ban you. This should be fun for a while.

What truth do you speak of?

[metmom]

My college age daughter says the same thing about Hillary.

She tells me that even the most die hard liberals she’s talked to claim they don’t like her and won’t vote for her.

There’s a lot of interest among that age group in Ron Paul, last I heard.

[Halgr]

Some of the biggest racists I know are blacks themselves.....

Lots of anger and dysfunction there, disproportionately so.

[luvie]

Mmmmmm...the DU is
<-————————over there
to the left of idiocy.
I think you made a wrong turn.

[Das Outsider]

The last two really piss me off. Pledge "allegiance" to all black leadership that embrace the black value system? Obama must be asked if he is one of those leaders who embraces the "black" value system. The measure of worth is what you do for blacks? This is EXTREMELY DISTURBING. I can't believe the Clinton campaign is ignoring this.

This so-called pastor has previously demonstrated the temerity to invoke Scripture--Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim, and New Testament --albeit loosely, for the advancement of his deeply-held cause whilst preaching the "Black Values System." Just what is the "Black Values System?"

Does he mean Zulu or Hottentot values? No, none of those. He is referring to a perverse variation of Judeo-Christian tradition and ethics in service of a radical, race-based, secularist worldview. The man is so ignorant (or perverse) as to refer to Yeshua as a poor black man. In other words, a bridge burner.

Obama has a lot to answer for, but I doubt those questions will be asked. I, for one, would walk out of such a so-called church and never return. Wright is merely a darker shade of Hitler, and I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we were to discover some very anti-Semitic statements in his record. What's Barack's excuse for staying in this house of warfare--oops, I mean--worship?

Shalom, my friend.

[Girlene]

Note that Wright makes obscene gestures with his right hand while ranting about Bill and Monica, and he say that this (the obscene gesture) is also what Bill did to THEM (not just Monica). Some man of God...not.

I heard this rant today numerous times, now I'll have to watch it, too. While I'm loading it up (dial-up), he keeps repeating "rich, white people" . Funny coming from a "pastor" who supposedly drives a Porsche. Wonder what that would make him?

[No Surrender No Retreat]

McCain is a weak fool, that straddles the P.C. fence of not offending people who will cut his throat in the general election.

Respectfully,
NSNR

[rb22982]

Some liberals are interested in Paul because he’s against the Iraq nation building campaign. But as soon as they find out he’s against all socialistic programs, pro-gun, and against Roe vs Wade, they generally end up hating him worse than normal Republicans. Ron is a paleo-conservative on foreign policy and a complete economic conservative and general dislike of federal government and wants the US to leave the UN. Those are not traits historically that liberals like.

[luvie]

I respectfully agree with you!

He has been on the fence so long he doesn’t even feel the
splinters anymore!

[metmom]

They would just love that. It would provide all kinds of fodder for enacting new legislation to further restrict our freedoms, take away our guns, enact marshal law, etc.

[luvie]

Never to late for them to cause race riots and blame it on
people who simply believe in the Constitution as written!

Always the blame game with those on the left!

[SeeRushToldU_So]

If you truly believe that America is the Mother of Harlots, the Great Whore, might I suggest you - get the he*l out.

Actually that verse refers to false religion. (including yours)America and Britain are the two headed 7 horned beast.

Get it straight.

[popdonnelly]

The only reason Obama goes to a church in the first place is to get votes.

[lolhelp]

No, you are right, you are definately confused.

[luvie]

I am so glad I didn’t hear those clips. I just bought a new LCD HDTV and I would certainly hate to put my foot through it! EGAD!

Bad enough to read it!

[tomnbeverly]

Absolutely... why are they condemning his pastor... lol

[GVnana]

[Das Outsider]

And the good rev doesn't have the same ego problem?

There's a fundamental problem with this so-called Reverend: He has said, and I'm only doing this in quotation, "God damn," which is to say that he is cursing and/or invoking the Lord for the purpose of cursing an entire nation. It seems to me that a man of the cloth ought to be praying for repentance in America, as we do sorely need it. It seems Mr. Wright fancies himself a prophet.

Even if we are Nineveh, I think we should be seeking repentance and not buying into this distorted, patently political, Fred Phelps kind of rhetoric. Jeremiah Wright is no Jonah and certainly no Jeremiah; the man talks about the the slaughter of the innocents but is at best silent on abortion and so-called assisted suicide.

[khnyny]

The Clinton Machine in full force. Both CNN and FOX are running major stories on this Pastor. Gee, what a surprise. The Clintoon’s are bringing out all the dirt. PA voters are up for grabs. It’s the Clinton’s, but the GOPS and even people like Sean Hannity are being blamed. Too funny.

[RepublitarianRoger2]

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.

That might be true, but the difference is that if we do have someone like that in the family, we don't go to his house every week to listen to him blabber stupid, inflammatory stuff that we don't agree with. We avoid relatives like that.