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Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) controversial former pastor lashed out at the U.S. government and the media on Monday, saying that the black church is the real target of the political backlash over his comments. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, whose post-Sept. 11 comments critical of America have raised questions about his relationship with Obama, has been on a multi-stop tour to restore his image and talk about his church. In addition to speaking at the National Press Club on Monday, he sat down for an interview with PBS's Bill Moyers in recent days. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. This is an attack on the black church," said Wright, who cast his appearance as part of a two-day "symposium" on the black church. A large group of Wright supporters were present at Monday's breakfast, providing him with raucous applause when he lambasted the media and even the moderator on several occasions. Wright said that more than 4,000 Americans have died in Iraq "over a lie" and that his church was in the right when the government was wrong during apartheid in South Africa and conflicts in Central America. Playing off the crowd's energy, Wright even suggested he would be interested in the vice presidency. When asked about whether he considered himself patriotic, he said, "I served six years in the military. Does that make me patriotic? How many years did Cheney serve?" Wright also reasserted Monday that Obama was only disavowing his former pastor's comments for political reasons. Obama said Sunday in an interview with Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace that questions about Wright and their relationship are legitimate. That relationship has begun to be used as fodder in GOP television ads in the South, including in a special House election in Mississippi and the gubernatorial election in North Carolina. |
