Barack Obama on Don Imus...

... one year ago.

No double standard here folks:

In an interview with ABC News Wednesday afternoon, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., called for the firing of talk radio host Don Imus. Obama said he would never again appear on Imus' show, which is broadcast on CBS Radio and MSNBC television.

"I understand MSNBC has suspended Mr. Imus," Obama told ABC News, "but I would also say that there's nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude."

Not working with you up until about a week ago... but worshiping with you or leading you in worship, that you'll  support with one well articulated excuse after another. 

But wait, it gets better:

"He didn't just cross the line," Obama said. "He fed into some of the worst stereotypes that my two young daughters are having to deal with today in America. The notions that as young African-American women -- who I hope will be athletes -- that that somehow makes them less beautiful or less important. It was a degrading comment. It's one that I'm not interested in supporting."

But apparently Barack, you're ok with some stereotypes being fed to your daughters week in and week out... the stereotypes fed them by your pastor and those in your church who find his message appealing.

"What we've been seeing around this country is this constant ratcheting up of a coarsening of the culture that all of have [us] to think about," Obama said.

All except, apparently, Jeremiah Wright.

"Insults, humor that degrades women, humor that is based in racism and racial stereotypes isn't fun," the senator told ABC News.

"And the notion that somehow it's cute or amusing, or a useful diversion, I think, is something that all of us have to recognize is just not the case. We all have First Amendment rights. And I am a constitutional lawyer and strongly believe in free speech, but as a culture, we really have to do some soul-searching to think about what kind of toxic information are we feeding our kids," he concluded.

Toxic information I guess has dual meaning.  Feeding our kids the notion that God should damn America is, apparently, not toxic.  Feeding our kids the concept that AIDS is a government concoction purposed in committing genocide against blacks is not, apparently, toxic.  Feeding our kids the idea that Louis Farrakhan should be rewarded is not, apparently, toxic.  Feeding our kids that America is the U.S. of KKKA. is not, apparently, toxic.

I will agree with Obama on one thing however.

Soul-searching is, indeed, in order.

Comments

[Scorpion]

Obama has already denounced Wright for his corrosive, divisive statements.
"I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy."
and
"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...."

Why do you deliberately, unashamedly mislead your readers into attributing Wright's comments to Obama?

Double standards indeed!

[Rick]

You don’t think his condemnation was political in nature? You don’t think 20+ years worshiping in a church that promotes bigotry and hatred is relevant? You don’t find it a double standard when he thought publicly that MSNBC should distance themselves from Imus while he shouldn’t from Wright? You don’t find it interesting that he’s concerned about his daughters exposure to Imus but not to Wright?

And you wonder aloud at my lack of shame?

Please.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Hey I got a great idea.

Let's get ahold of someone with all this charisma, preferably of a racially mixed background like Sen. Obama, someone who believes in hope and change...

...who has not been worshipping with a black Archie Bunker for the last two decades.

[tim]

Hey! Archie Bunker was very patriotic.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

Trying not to Godwin the whole thread. Trying really hard...it's a bit of a challenge here, I must say.

[Scorpion]

Rick,

Absolutely not... to all your points.

Obama's condemnation was sincere. He is trying to unite the country not divide it. That would be a no win situation for him. However his speech put context and perspective on the type of sermons/tirades that Wright delivers occasionally.

Imus's statement "nappy headed hos" is just plain unequivocally insulting, designed to kick every young black girl down who is uppity enough to think she could excel at anything.

Wright is not insulting anyone but stating historical facts, pointing out in unforgiving terms the discrimination, marginalisation and racial ridicule that black Americans have had to put up over centuries. You call this hatred and bigotry! Wow!

But as to his other assertions of 9/11, AIDS etc., I call it conspiracy theory indulgence and histrionics which many people irrespective of race entertain from time to time.

[Jim Nance]

Wright was saying the truth. AIDS was created by the CIA to kill blacks. Drugs are being made by CIA to kill blacks. All the police departments are part of it too. Each cop gets $50 for each black that they frame for a drug crime.

We should all be ashame.

[Rick]

Scorpion,

With all due respect sir.

A pastor who from the pulpit suggests that God should damn rather than bless America (turning a blind eye to that which is good about this country), who suggests that 9/11 was the result of U.S. actions abroad (a sentiment shared by terrorists who aim to kill you solely because you believe not what they believe), that the U.S. knew that the attack on Pearl Harbor was going to take place and did nothing (an assertion that can be described by the informed as a bald faced lie), that AIDS is a government concoction purposed in committing genocide against blacks (simply ludicrous) is a pastor who uses insulting language that alienates that vast majority of thinking Americans. What is there about attending a church that condones this kind of speech that you find unifying? Who do you think that kind of hate speech (and Obama's tepid offense) kicks?

Let's be clear about the fact that blacks have historically in this country been treated abysmally. Let's be clear that white racism is abhorrent. Let's be clear that too many did little to counter what took place. Let's also be clear that besmirching all whites is racist. Let's be clear that dishonoring all of America is bigoted. Let's be clear that if racism is to be abhorred, all of it must be.

Hatred and bigotry is exactly what I call what Pastor Wright and apparently his Church preaches... and to deny that is to deny reality.

[Morgan K Freeberg]

What is there about attending a church that condones this kind of speech that you find unifying?

This is very selfish of me, I know. But if I could have my druthers...just skip all the rest and zero in on that one nugget.

There is some "climate change" going on with the intellectual climate here. Bigotry is unifying; Sen. Obama's failure to repudiate it is even moreso. How'd we get to this point? What's next? Wet is dry, cold is hot, up is down?

[Rick]

If I could have my druthers... I'd zero in on this nugget:

Bigotry is unifying

That's what the Religious Left are telling us. Plain and simple.

[xtnyoda]

Of all the insulting remarks by Rev. Wright... the one that is actually the most troubling to me and divisive in nature is when he calls blacks who actually try to be "Americans" instead of "immigrant slave victims"...when he labeled them, "Uncle Toms".

How condescending to those who are actually attempting to live the "audacity of hope" instead of grovel in bitterness and victimization.

Might add a little light on Mrs. Obama's statement that for the first time in her life she felt proud to be an "American". Would be somewhat difficult to be proud when your spiritual leader calls you an "Uncle Tom" for wanting to actually be a contributor to your culture instead of a victim of your culture.

[xtnyoda]

With a little more thought on this it has dawned on me that Mrs. Obama's statement that she now feels "proud to be an American" is actually the ultimate denouncing of Rev. Wright.

With these revelations of the personal insult she has been subjected to from her church's pulpit for advancing in this society and wanting to be a contributor...for her to say to the world that she is now "proud" to be an "American" must have taken tremendous courage and fortitude! What a courageous lady to publicly reject, denounce, and humiliate the Rev. Wright.

I think we should acknowledge her "smack down" of Rev. Wright and congratulate her for her moral courage to stand up publicly and denounce religious fascism.

I wish it were Mrs. Obama that was running for the office of President of the United States of America.