CNN tries its best for Obama

In a story published a few hours ago, CNN did its best to help Obama and his campaign staff manage the public anger concerning his failure to reject until recently the anti-Americanism and racism of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his close friend, mentor and pastor of almost 20 years.

Fist, excerpts from the CNN article, then my comments below the star line.

CNN begins - - -

Sen. Barack Obama says in an interview scheduled to air on TV Friday that he would have left his church if his pastor had not retired and had not acknowledged making comments that "deeply offended people."

Obama talked about the dispute as it continued to brew over some of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermons and comments, which many viewed as anti-American and racist toward whites.

Bulletins from Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ in 2007 include comments -- reprinted from other sources -- that maintain South Africa and Israel worked on "an ethnic bomb that kills blacks and Arabs." They also quote a historian who said that "what the Zionist Jews did to the Palestinians is worse than what the Nazis did to the Jews."

The articles appeared in a church bulletin section called the "Pastor's Page," and include one that originally ran in The Los Angeles Times. That article was written by a senior official with Hamas, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization.

Obama denounced the articles this week, telling the Jerusalem Post that the church was "outrageously wrong" in reprinting the pieces.

"Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church," the senator said.

Wright retired earlier this year, before events erupted.

Obama also said on the ABC talk show that he has spoken with Wright since the uproar over the pastor's comments.

"I think he's saddened by what's happened, and I told him I feel badly that he has been characterized just in this one way and people haven't seen the broader aspect of him," Obama said.

Mark Halperin of Time magazine told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday night that aides to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, believe the controversy will give their candidate an opening if Obama becomes the Democratic nominee.

"If you talk to McCain's people about it, they are -- choose your metaphor -- licking their chops," he said. "They believe that if this does not derail his chances of becoming the Democratic nominee, it will be invaluable to them in gaining support among key constituencies -- that's code for white voters -- in the general election."

Even so, polls show that Democrats believe that Obama has responded very well, CNN's Jessica Yellin reported. She cited a Thursday poll showing Obama with a 10-point lead over his rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Yellin said polls showed that "Obama appeared to rise in Democrats' estimation after the controversy -- after he addressed the Wright controversy."

The entire CNN story is here.
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Comments:

As far as I know, this is the first story in which CNN has referred in its own text to Wright’s remarks as “anti-American and racist.” If it’s not the first, it’s certainly one of the few times.

That two weeks after the story broke through the MSM “filter” and became major news.

Still, CNN couldn’t bring itself to outright call the remarks anti-American and racist. It had to qualify with “which many viewed.”

And speaking of “which many viewed,” CNN’s use of “viewed” suggests the remarks are somehow “back then when.”

In fact, the outrage over Wright’s statements is not about how Americans “viewed” them but how we “view” them here and now.

Did you notice CNN didn’t raise the issue of why Obama is only saying now he would have left the church?

CNN says: “Wright retired earlier this year, before events erupted.”

That’s great fogging over for Obama. He must be grateful CNN didn’t say the obvious: “Wright retired earlier this year, before his screeds and other actions became front-page news and Obama was forced to explain why he’d never until now condemned Wright’s remarks or left his church.”

Final point: CNN talks about Dems and GOPers. Makes it all sound like just plain old politics.

But no mention by CNN of polls showing Independents by overwhelming margins say they’re deeply offended by Wright and less likely to vote for Obama as a consequence of his close association with him.

Also, they by large margins Independents report an unfavorable reaction to Obama’s speech which MSNBC’s Chris Matthews hailed as “the greatest” speech ever given on race/civil rights.

A+ to CNN for spinning for Obama.