No, Senator Obama should not be held responsible for the comments of his Pastor.
You can’t argue facts or opinions because facts you can’t change and everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I will give the benefits of doubt that Obama does not agree with Rev. Wright preaching…but I will not and can not choose a US president that has such a long “good” relationship with a creep like Wright.
How much more that we don’t know about Obama? This is the first time I’m actually scared that we’ll make the wrong choice.
Lots of Hopes and Promises do bring some bitter disappointment. Thats all I gotta say.

If you attend a meeting where hate filled rhetoric is spewed, no, you obviously are not responsible. If you attend meetings for 20 years where this rhetoric is spewed, it is reasonable to deduce that you agree with it. Gerry Ferraro was crucified (not meant as a religious term) for using the word “black” and you have the audicity (or hope) to suggest that this should be passed over? Sorry. All the rules apply all the time to all the candidates. Obama Rules, right?

Yes, Obama should be held in the light of concern about what hie spiritual and personal mentor believes. Michelle Obama certainly reflects Wright’s views. There is no doubt that Obama is hiding and hoping that he’ll get elected because he has duped the masses that are following him. It is now clear what “we” is being promised something in Obama’s political hopes.

Fair play, Sammie, but look at the alternatives. Pre-emptive war, WWJD? Placing corporate profits over the environment, WWJD? Bailing out banks who committed fraud before taking care of the citizens who were conned into getting high-risk loans from them (called “sub-prime” to make it sound better, even!), WWJD? Torture, WWJD?
When choosing a candidate, you’ve got to consider the alternatives. Obama has a crazy pastor. So what?
I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. He’s made a few race-based statements that I disagree with. But what’s so ridiculous about the rest of it? That U.S. foreign policy led to blowback events like 9/11? It’s true: if we hadn’t been meddling in their affairs, showing unconditional support for Israel while turning a blind eye to their war crimes, and letting our corporations run amok in the region, we wouldn’t have generated enough hate to have people want to ram planes into our buildings.
If this seems strange to anybody, please, take me to your planet. It sounds blissful there.

Now that the comments are made by the Obama camp it’s a different story.

Barrack Obama along with his America hating wife and their America hating, racist preacher who HATE America and white people are NOT what America needs! VOTE FOR HILLARY!! Before it is too late. THIS is an OUTRAGE.
Obama’s Mentor –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAYe7MT5BxM

All of you readers please click on this link or cut and paste (http://www.tucc.org/about.htm) to the site of Trinity United Church of Christ website and see what they’re about. Minister Wright Jr., Barack Obama’s ‘spiritual leader’, and the church the Obama’s belong to is racist.

Obama “disagrees with some of the statements” from Wright???
Give me a break! To sit and listen to ANY of that crap for 20 years makes Obama just as dirty as Scumbag Wright (don’t call him Rev. again; he ain’t no man of God!).
For Obama or anyone else to sit in that cult “church” and listen to that evil B.S., just lends a false credibility to such an imposter.
Now we see where Obama’s wife feeds her hatred from too.
I don’t care how many “good” things a person has to say. When their “evil” finally shows through, it’s time to stay away permanently.
Obama displays TERRIBLE JUDGEMENT!!!!!! He should NEVER be allowed to make decisions for this country!!!
Hey Obama, try explaining what parts of Wright’s message you DO agree with!

I BELIEVE THE QUESTIONS OF”DO WE VET A CANDIDATE ON WHAT ASPECTS OF THEIR CHURCH THEY DO OR DO NOT BELIEVE AND TO WHAT EXTENT,WAS ANSWERED WITH THE CANDIDACY OF MITT ROMNEY, A MORMON. THE PUBLIC AND THE MEDIA CHOSE NOT TO QUESTION HIM ON HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. ALTHOUGH, PROMINENT WRITERS, SUCH AS CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS, AN ATHEIST,CALLED FOR QUESTIONING ROMNEY ON HIS BELIEFS, MOST PEOPLE,I BELIEVE, DISAGREED.I THINK ALL OBAMA SHOULD SAY IS”LIKE A LOT PEOPLE I DO NOT ACCEPT EVERYTHING MY CHURCH LEADER SAYS, BUT I BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, AND THE TENETS OF MY FAITH. HE WILL FIND COMPANY WITH MANY CHRISTIANS, PARTICULARLY MILLIONS OF ROMAN CATHOLICS.

Mr. Obama is certainly not responsible for what Jeremiah Wright have been saying. Rather, Mr. Obama is being asked to account for his 20-year association with Rev Wright’s controversial church whose fame rests on his anti-American, anti-white diatribes. Why would Mr. Obama, a man who, to quote Mr. Obama’s spokesman, “profoundly disagrees” with Rev Wright’s ideology continue to attend the pastor’s sermons and contribute $22,500 to the church in 2006 so that the revered pastor could continue his tirade against America?
To the detriment of Mr. Obama, the evidence of his large contribution stands against his mealy-mouthed explanation of his innocence and casual involvement with the church; after all, when a member of the church gives this kind of money, it would have to be justly assumed that the giver wishes the church to promulgate the teaching of its leader, the pastor Jeremiah Wright.
It should be noted that if any white presidential candidate is associated with a white-ethnocentric church as Mr. Obama is with his Afro-centric church, he would be considered unfit to be the President of the US. So why should Mr. Obama be exempt from the same criteria? The fact of the matter is that, in spite of his grand call for racial transcendence and integrity in politics, he fails to consider his 20-year association with a racist church as a blatant double standard and dismisses his critics for being racially motivated.
Clearly then, in spite of Mr. Obama’s lofty rhetoric of racial transcendence and unity, his behavior and biography does not support his contention, and thus he is not qualified to be the next president of the US, the position whose one fundamental job qualification is that the prospective candidate disavow any association with organization or ideology that promotes ethnocentric view in favor or any particular race. Mr. Obama fails miserably on this account.

If I was sitting in a church, or anywhere and someone started to make a speech such as the ones that Rev. Wright has made to his congregation, I would not have sat there for more then 20 seconds. How can you be a member of a church for twenty years call this man your spiritual advisor and think that anyone would believe that you don’t agree with him? And you take your children there to be taught by this man? Don’t insult me. Everyone needs to get in touch with the Super delegate that is voiting on their behalf and warn them,if you vote for this hipocrit, you won’t stay in office long. Everyone needs to stop this man from gettin gany where near our White House.

Oh look, white Republicans ganging up on a black Democrat because his pastor–not him, but his pastor made comments that reflect ugly truths and perceptions of white Americans, things you white Republicans aren’t comfortable acknowledging about yourselves. Then, without even willing to look at why you’re being criticized (since understanding is a catalyst for resolution), you simply make a judgment about a man based on comments FROM HIS PASTOR. His pastor, who you’re labeling a bigot while refusing to accept a shred of responsibility for the things he’s angry about. Who’s the hypocrite again?
The truth of the matter is, none of you were going to vote for Obama anyway. You people were going to vote for whatever bum the Republican party puts out, yet you still feel the need to subvert others. Well let me tell you something, we’re not having it. We know your party is about lies and fraud (disrupting the Democratic primaries, anyone?), and we refuse to even humor the former Republican/now-Fascist party. Good luck, people. You’ll need it. See you in November.
Oh, and if anyone’s curious, I’m white.

Yes, Obama is certainly not responsible for what his pastor has to say. However, he does need a lot of explaining as to why he keeps such a close relationship with this hateful guy for 20 years. Now I can understand where his wife’s comment came from. Do we need a president who has some problems down down?
Yes, there are still racists and injustice in this world but it is happening everywhere and in all forms. One can not forever cling to the injustice of the past and claim special privileges for the present and the future.

I think it’s important to note how John McCain’s campaign is handling this.
From Ben Smith’s political blog
From “Morning Joe” today:
Scarborough: Is John McCain troubled by the fact that that man we just heard — and my gosh, there’s so many more sermons just like that, just as inflammatory, but is John Mccain concerned that that man is Barack Obama’s “spiritual adviser.”
Charlie Black: You know what, what Sen. McCain has said repeatedly is that these candidates cannot be held accountable for all the views of people who endorse them or people who befriend them. And fortunately, I heard your report earlier that Sen. Obama has repudiated these very unusual views. But [what] John McCain believes is that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton should be held accountable for their public policy views, the things we’ve described before, big government versus smaller government.
Scarborough: So this isn’t an issue for John McCain?
Charlie Black: I don’t think Sen. McCain wants to get in the middle of a discussion about Sen. Obama’s former pastor or his faith. He believes that people who endorse you, people who befriend you are entitled to their own views, but you are not held personally accountable. That when somebody endorses you or befriends you, they’re embracing your views, the candidates’ views, not the other way around.

“Then, without even willing to look at why you’re being criticized…”
Precicely. Very well put.

How sad all this is.
We have a country that is going backwards instead of forwards.
Because a successful HALF black man is running for president, it is
fair gamd to play with racism.
Thank you Geraldine for bringing the worst of the worst out.
Thank you Hillary for not being honest when they asked you the first time if you thought Obama was a Muslim. You know a name does not make!
Why hasn’t any of you so called educated people mentioned that this man is HALF WHITE, was mainly raised by WHITE grandparents, and that you don’t get to be the president of the Harvard Law Review through affirmative action.
Good G-d! Help us all!
Obama appears to be his own man. I will take my chances with him over the old politics of Hillary and the risk of having another “W”
screw us all again.
Did you all learn this in “church?”

Not everyone can say they support any (political) thing their Pastor says so why would ANYONE hold Obama to a different standard WRIGHT or wrong?
http://OsiSpeaks.com

Obama has a perfect opportunity to explain his beliefs to the American people. About his background and where he spent his early childhood and what shaped him. Maybe these are already in his book which I have not read. When Richard Nixson was besieged in the 1952 election, Nixon
used the checkers speech to overcome his problem and stayed on the ticket.
My only concern is that Louis Farrakhan, an avowed and outspoken anti-Semite is also in the mix. But Obama with his oratory can transcend
whatever he chooses if he is truly sincere. He has a perfect chance to
address uncertainty about his origins if he is sincere.

What we learn in Church in basic Gospel churhes, is to forgive people that have wronged us. Looking at any Black community, including their churches, we see that this basic of Gospel doctrines is thrown out. Violence and hate is put into practice with ease. Thug life is celebrated in Black community and lifestyle. Obama was taught and conditioned by “his” pastor of 20-years. No amount of slick denials by a politician is going to change the fact that Wright’s racism and hatred is implanted in the Obama’s. Michelle Obama proved how deep is the hatred of America within them. She is middle-aged and has only been proud of America when it bows to Barack. Ferreting out the marxist and herectical beliefs of Obama and his Pastor is very important. What a marxist could do in a few weeks, let alone four years is something to dread and reject.

“part of a minister’s job is to challenge the views of his congregants”
It is? I thought his job was to teach within the bounds of an established Christian framework, not make up his own.
But as a Catholic, I have to say, these not-so-mainline Protestant churches make no sense to me. Not only is there no Real Presence, no liturgy (as we know it), heck there is hardly any talk about Jesus, because so much time seems dedicated to the Clintons and 9/11 and black opression.
And yes, Obama has to be held responsible, because lacking all those things listed above, a church like his has nothing to go on but its minister. It becomes a “cult of personality” as they say. The reason people show up is the sermon as delivered by this particular man.
That says a lot about this particular candidate, don’t you think?

have any of you actually listened to Reverand Wright?
i watched several YouTube clips and he appears to be making some very cogent arguments germaine to social justice and his “flock.”
black people, especially in Chicago, experience racism everyday. it would be odd if their pastor did not address these basic everyday issues of justice.
he fulfills a very different role than those of his parishioners who are offered these observations for reflection. instead of reflection we get sanctimonious hate and misunderstanding… walk a mile in another’s man shoes, before you condemn him…
c’mon… it doesn’t take much Christly compassion to recognize the greivous harm endured by black people in this country? true, much is good, but it is not the Pastor’s job to dwell on what works, but correcting what’s not…

Steven Waldman:
I agree with you about respecting Obama’s source of spiritual inspiration — without letting the spin doctors turn our heads.
Are you the editor having the birthday tomorrow? If so, happy birthday.
Allow me to give you the spiritual scoop of the century.
Isaac Mozeson, author of 8 books