Friday, March 28, 2008

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.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

As our folks used to say, "Birds of a feather flock together".

Anonymous said...

John: You are so good at disecting and exposing the MSM's subtle deceit. I hope you continue to fillet these charlatans.

Anonymous said...

John -

I understand Oprah Winfrey was a member of the same church and quietly left it (presumably because of the "Reverend" Wright). Obama could have left it as well, and indeed he should have, but chose not to. Not only did he choose not to leave it, but he chose to contribute $20,000 to the church. I simply do not believe that he would have left the church because he chose not to leave up to now. This is beginning to sound like Ms. Hillary and her fantasy about dodging sniper fire in Tuzla.

Best - Jack in Silver Spring

mac said...

Obama says we don't see the "broader aspect" of Jeremiah Wright.

Apply those words to Imus (as previously noted on this blog by others:) Imus has done a lot of good, in the "broader" context.

Instead of looking for the positive things Imus was doing, Obama wanted him fired...for a small snippet of ugly words.

Anonymous said...

Let's be honest here: Obama wasn't planning to say anything critical of Jeremiah Wright (I refuse to call this bigot "reverend") until he felt the heat of public opinion growing. What this means is that Obama gave tacit approval to everything Wright has been saying for at least 20 years. I do not accept Obama's carefully parsed statements that he never heard the bigotry when he was "in the pew." He also knew full well that Wright honored Farakhan with a "lifetime achievement award" and accompanied Farakhan to Libya; if he was prepared to accept Wright's obvious malignant philosophy, then Obama has no right to seek to become the president of our nation. He will likely become the nominee of the Democrats and we will be witness to the suicide of a once-great political movement. It will be entertaining to watch Obama attempt to claim victory when the only votes he can count on will be the deluded and naive young college people, the Leftist self-hating Whites, and the deluded Black voters who think he is the "second coming." I really can't imagine any thinking person casting a vote for Obama.
Tarheel Hawkeye