Obama Won't Distance Himself From Wright: Updated

(picture courtesy of Michelle Malkin)

Wow, that's all I can say, simply wow, Obama chose this "church" largely because he believed what Wright had to say twenty years ago and has patronized it since and is raising his daughters in this poisonous atmosphere. He and his wife freely chose to attend and listen to this madman's vitriolic racist rants hundreds of times and refer to Wright as their spiritual adviser and mentor. Amanda Carpenter points to an interview where Obama was asked about his pastors words and this is what he had to say.

Q: I don't know if you've seen it, but it's all over the wire today (from an ABC News story), a statement that your pastor (the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side) made in a sermon in 2003 that instead of singing "God Bless America," black people should sing a song essentially saying "God Damn America

A: I haven't seen the line. This is a pastor who is on the brink of retirement who in the past has made some controversial statements. I profoundly disagree with some of these statements.
Q: What about this particular statement?

A: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.

Well now if he so strongly disagrees with that rhetoric then why did he listen to it for twenty years? Why is he Obama's spiritual outreach director on the campaign?Just what do you believe Barack? Captain Ed also points to a profile of Wright back in '07 that paints a rather fawning picture of their close relationship and guess who is also a congregant of this "church", Oprah Winfrey.

Obama says that rather than advising him on strategy, Wright helps keep his priorities straight and his moral compass calibrated.
“What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice,” Obama said. “He’s much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I’m not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that’s involved in national politics.”

"Hype and hoopla", hell that's all Obama's campaign has been and is far different than the "crazy old uncle" defense that he has used recently. As I saw somewhere else, you don't get to choose your relatives, you do choose your pastor and spiritual advisor. Obama can't run from this guy, not with a twenty year record of close relations.

Update: More on that point from the American Thinker.

AllahPundit has BHO trying to run on HuffPo, "never heard him make those kinds of remarks"