Taken from my show notes at RedState.com, here is a look at Obama on this morning’s episode of NBC’s Meet the Press:
OBAMA ON MTP. On Meet the Press, host Tim Russert interviewed presumptive Dem nominee Barack Obama, leading off with Jeremiah Wright. Obama called the controversy, “distracting.” He added that it “wasn’t welcome.” He added that the American people understand that when he joined Trinity United, he was committing not to Wright but to the church (black liberation theology, etc.) and to Christ. He defended the church for working on poverty and social issues. He said that when Wright made the statements which Barry says he found “objectionable,” his first thought was that they did not define Wright. When Wright “worsened” his comments before the National Press Club, Obama felt it was important that we understand that this is not what he believes, and it does not represent the African American church. Obama told Russert that he is still a member of Wright’s church.
Obama thinks that, what with Wright retiring, “having the spotlight was attractive to him.” (Obama here accused Wright of being just a showman, perhaps in retaliation for Wright having accused him at the National Press Club of being just a politician. Vengeance is mine, sayeth the man’s ego.
Obama added that he thinks Wright “failed to understand” that they only way they can solve the problems the church has sought to address is “by the country coming together,” i.e. – electing Barry.
Russert asked why it took so long for Obama to lose the Wright albatross. He played a clip of Obama’s famous “race speech” where he said that he could no more disown Wright than he could disown his white grandmother. (Russert ended the clip before the part where Obama referred to his grandmother as a racist.) Then Russert played a clip, five weeks later, of Obama trying to reject and repudiate Wright last Tuesday, and he pointed out that Obama had known about Wright’s beliefs at least since March. What changed in the past five weeks? Obama said that Wrights views could no longer be explained away as spliced bits from sermons. He said that further that this showed that Wright “didn’t have much regard for the moment we’re in right now right here in the United States,” where we have to elect Obama and bring the country together.
It was “disappointing” that he did not know Wright as well as he thought he did.
He said that he didn’t want Wright’s words to distract from his candidacy.
Obama proclaimed that because he is half black and half white, it is in his DNA to believe that we can come together regardless of race.
Russert asked Obama if it is fair to judge his judgment based on his misjudgment of Reverend Wright. Obama said sure, if you include all the other things he’s done in the last twenty years.
Obama said that he will never seek Wright’s counsel if elected President; in fact, he’s never sought Wright’s counsel as far as politics. (Not even at 3am?) He said that Wright was never his “spiritual advisor or mentor. He was my pastor.”
The first fifteen minutes went by with soft questions and lengthy answers regarding Barry and the Rev. Then Russert moved on to the possible “swiftboating” or Obama this fall, questioning his patriotism. Barry said that he will “not stand by and allow somebody to challenge” his patriotism.
Twenty-three minutes into this, they started talking about Obama’s new found opposition to a temporary reduction in the gas tax. He talked about Hillary saying that she would “obliterate” Iran if it were to attack Israel, saying this was “not the language we need right now”; rather, the use of the verb “obliterate” is “reflective of George Bush.” (On TW, Steph asked Hillary about Obama’s statement. She said that we had to be clear to the mullahs that they would face “massive retaliation.” I miss these cold war terms!)
They talked about corn for food or for ethanol. (Barry says that “we have a serious food problem” caused by global climate change.) Barry says we have to look at nuclear power. And he talked about forcing the Iraqis to fend for themselves because we are fanning the flames of hatred.
