Barack Obama’s interview on “Meet the Press with Tim Russert” was broadcast live from Indianapolis, Indiana, where Obama has been campaigning for the upcoming Indiana primary. Obama has appeared previously on “Meet the Press” — thus, unlike last week’s Fox News Sunday Obama Watch, no records were broken. However, Obama did have a national platform to discuss Rev. Jeremiah Wright and address other controversies.
It came as no surprise that the first 18 minutes of the broadcast were devoted to Mr. Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., whose incendiary remarks have become a central issue in the Democratic presidential campaign.
Why did Mr. Obama initially decline to distance himself from Mr. Wright?
“I did what I thought was right,” he said, “which was denounce the words, not denounce the man.”
But he said a series of televised appearances last week by Mr. Wright “put gasoline on the fire.” Mr. Obama said he strongly disagreed with the assertions his former pastor made about the United States government.
“What really changed was a sense that he was going to double-down on the statements that he made before,” Mr. Obama said. “That indicated to me that he did not share my fundamental belief and my fundamental values in terms of bringing the country together, moving forward and the pride that I’ve got for this country.”
So did he respond swiftly enough?
“When you are in national politics, it is always good to pull the Band-aid off quick,” Mr. Obama said. “Life’s messy sometimes – all this stuff is happening under a spotlight and you need to deal with it quickly.”
Conceding the controversy had been a distraction, Mr. Obama said it was “fair to look at this episode.”
“When you’re running for president,” he said, “your life is an open book.”
“But this is one element of a much larger track record.”
If Mr. Obama is elected president, would Mr. Wright provide advice or counsel?
“Absolutely not,” Mr. Obama replied.
Source: Obama Defends Stance on His Former Pastor
See also:
- ‘Meet the Press’ transcript for May 4, 2008
- First Read: Obama on NBC’s Meet the Press
- Obama: I’m committed to my church, not my pastor
- On Sunday TV, One Hot Race Fuels Another
- Sunday Talk: Obama Is Grilled on Wright
Hre is the Video: Obama on “Meet the Press” 5/4/08 (Full Interview)
