Wright’s revenge: the inside story

Here is one of the most illuminating articles you’ll see on Wright-Obama, by the valuable reporter Fredric Dicker of the New York Post. A source who “has deep roots in Wright’s Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter” tells Dicker why Wright is so angry with his most famous parishioner. First, he was hurt that Obama excluded him at the last moment from his presidential campaign announcement in early 2007. Second and more importantly, the source says,

After 20 years of loving Barack like he was a member of his own family, for Jeremiah to see Barack saying over and over that he didn’t know about Jeremiah’s views during those years, that he wasn’t familiar with what Jeremiah had said, that he may have missed church on this day or that and didn’t hear what Jeremiah said, this is seen by Jeremiah as nonsense and betrayal.

A friend to whom I read the story said that it shows that Wright is “vicious and selfish.” Wright is certainly vicious in seeking to destroy his friend’s presidential candidacy. But I think there’s more to the story than that. It’s telling us that Wright’s real motive is to advance black liberation theology, the black racist anti-American creed that he has preached and taught for the last 30 years at his church. Obama, by distancing himself even a little from Wright’s statements in his Philadelphia speech, betrayed that black creed. So Obama is a traitor and deserves to be brought down. Evidently Wright expected Obama to run for president as the candidate of black liberation theology.

This fits what I said the other day when I compared Wright to Yasser Arafat. Arafat didn’t want a Palestinian state and peace with Israel, because he wanted to destroy Israel. Similarly, Wright doesn’t want a black president who will supposedly bring racial peace to America, he wants to wage endless war against America.

Here is the entire story.

REV-ENGE IS SWEET FOR ‘BETRAYED’ PASTOR
By FREDRIC U. DICKER State Editor

April 30, 2008—

ALBANY—The Rev. Jeremiah Wright would be happy to see Barack Obama’s presidential campaign derailed because the pastor is fuming that his former congregant has “betrayed” their 20-year relationship, The Post has learned.

“After 20 years of loving Barack like he was a member of his own family, for Jeremiah to see Barack saying over and over that he didn’t know about Jeremiah’s views during those years, that he wasn’t familiar with what Jeremiah had said, that he may have missed church on this day or that and didn’t hear what Jeremiah said, this is seen by Jeremiah as nonsense and betrayal,” said the source, who has deep roots in Wright’s Chicago community and is familiar with his thinking on the matter.

“Jeremiah is trying to defend his congregation and the work of his ministry by saying what he is saying now,” the source added.

“Jeremiah doesn’t care if he derails Obama’s candidacy or not … He knows what he’s doing. Obviously, he’s not a dumb man. He knows he’s not helping.”

The source spoke yesterday about Wright’s motivation for thrusting himself back into the news, the day after the pastor appeared at the National Press Club on Monday and embarrassed Obama by accusing the United States of terrorism.

Wright has said the reason he has begun granting interviews and making public appearances now is that he wants to defend black churches.

But the source said the preacher’s motivation is much more personal.

The source noted that the roots of Wright’s disillusionment with Obama began last year after the Illinois senator unexpectedly yanked him from participating in the public announcement of his presidential campaign.

“That’s why Jeremiah revealed … that he had actually been at the [announcement] hotel and prayed privately with the Obama family before the official declaration,” the source told The Post.

“Rev. Wright, as well as other senior members of his church, believe that Obama has betrayed over 20 years of their supposed friendship.”

Obama further angered Wright by trying to distance himself from the pastor ever since videos were made public earlier this year of the preacher alleging that America brought 9/11 upon itself and that people should say “God damn America,” not “God bless America.”

The source added, “After 20 years of loving Barack like he is one of their own, after he was embraced by this congregation as a brother in Christ, after his pastor was a father figure to him and gave him credibility in a city he had not grown up in and in a black community that was suspect of someone from Hawaii and Harvard, he thanks him by not allowing him to speak publicly at his announcement last year?

“A lot of people in the church believe they were there for this man when no one else was, and a lot of people don’t believe it any more when Obama claims he loves the man who did so much for him,” the source added.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

Posted by Lawrence Auster at April 30, 2008 07:42 PM | Send