Wright Place? Wrong Time.
ABC News is calling Reverend Jeremiah Wright's sudden public relations offensive a very bad thing - for Barack Obama.
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright's interview with PBS' Bill Moyers — to be broadcast Friday — (followed by a PR blitz that includes weekend appearances in Dallas and Detroit and a speech at the National Press Club in Washington Monday) vaults Wright back into the public eye after six weeks of silence.
Maybe he'll convince the public that he was misunderstood, his fiery words taken out of context. Or maybe (stop us if you think we're off) he's supplying oxygen and dry brush to the flames that have threatened to engulf Obama.
"When something is taken like a sound bite for a political purpose and put constantly over and over again, looped in the face of the public," Wright says, "that's not a failure to communicate. Those who are doing that are communicating exactly what they want to do."
He may be correct — but even trying to set the record straight ensures several more weeks of soundbites he and Obama don't get to choose.
"Barack Obama's biggest headache is back," Michael Saul writes in the New York Daily News.
"Wright, who for four decades built his reputation on straight talk and imperviousness to politicians, has been atypically quiet in recent weeks, canceling four appearances, declining all interview requests and bowing out of a news conference with other clergy," Manya A. Brachear writes in the Chicago Tribune.
That silence ends with a thud. The reverend wants context? As ABC's David Wright pointed out on "Good Morning America," his line about the chickens "coming home to roost" were actually referring to comments made by a former US ambassador, Edward Peck (who is white).
But: "Left out of the original sound bites broadcast on Good Morning America were Wright's version of how America was built on terror, his description of the United States 'as an arrogant, racist, military superpower,' and comments on the wealth or success of Oprah Winfrey, Colin Power, Condoleezza Rice and Tiger Woods," ABC's Brian Ross, Avni Patel, and Rehab El-Buri report.
The wrong time and place for Wright to be playing this. There will now be even more of Wright's "context" revealed. Like a kid picking at a scab, Wright does not know, apparently, when to simply leave it alone. How much damage has Wright already done to Obama and how much more will he do before this is all over? I think the answer is: a lot and a real lot.
By K T Cat, Friday, 25 April , 2008 @ 6:49 pm
There’s no good time for Wright to open his pit hole as far as Obama is concerned. The only good thing that could happen to Obama would be if Wright took a holiday on Mars for a few months.
By Ted Goldman, Friday, 25 April , 2008 @ 7:02 pm
No one in their "Wright" mind will vote for Obama, the lightweight.
By Jerry, Friday, 25 April , 2008 @ 9:34 pm
I find it ironic for Obama to criticize McCain for not being able to control the NC Republican Parties commercials, while he can not get his life long friend to just be quiet.
By martian, Saturday, 26 April , 2008 @ 12:47 pm
The more Wright claims he is being taken out of context, the more excuse there is for more of the sermons to be broadcast in order for the public to judge the context. Having seen and heard much more than the 15 second sound bite they’ve been showing on TV (you can find large chunks of Wright’s sermons on YouTube now) I can say that this is not a good thing for Obama. The only thing showing more of his sermons will do is make the context look much worse. Now all we have to depend on is that the Obamessiah worshiping media will actually follow through.
KT Cat, we don’t want Wright, either.