Sen. Obama - in his own words, Meet the Press 5/4/08

When asked what happened between the support he expressed for Rev. Wright in his remarkable Philadelphia speech in March and his renouncement of the Chicago pastor last Tues. (4/29) in North Carolina, Sen Barak Obama, speaking on Meet the Press (Sun. 5/4/08), said that Rev. Wright "amplified and defended" the controversial remarks he had made in the past instead of taking the opportunity to build unity.

Sen. Obama continued, saying "that told me [Rev. Wright] was intentional in making comments that offend, but it also told me he is willing to distract our country and what [my campaign] is trying to do."

"In March I did what I thougt was right--denounce the worlds not denounce the man. What [Rev. Wright's] National Press Conference performance told me is that [Rev. Wright] was going to double down on divisive comments...."