NPR: Rev. Wright Met With President Clinton in 1998

Rev. Wright Met With President Clinton in 1998

The Clinton campaign is accusing the Obama camp of playing dirty politics after circulating a photo of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright meeting with President Bill Clinton at a prayer breakfast in the White House in 1998.

Wright, the former pastor of Sen. Barack Obama's church in Chicago, has generated enormous controversy for Obama this week because of comments made about the United States in past sermons.

The picture, which shows Clinton shaking hands with Wright, was posted on The New York Times Web site

"Less than 48 hours after calling for a high-minded conversation on race, the Obama campaign is peddling photos of an occasion when President Clinton shook hands with Rev. Wright," a Clinton campaign spokesman said. "To be clear, President Clinton took tens of thousands of photos during his eight years as president."

Reuters reports that Bill Burton, communications director for the Obama campaign, confirmed that he had circulated the photo.

"After their top surrogates pushed this storyline, and Senator Clinton's campaign outlined this as a central strategy in her plan to overturn the will of Democratic voters, I can see why they wouldn't want a photo out there that shows the kind of hypocrisy we've all come to expect from their campaign," Burton said in an e-mail.

10:22 AM ET | 03-21-2008 | permalink

Comments

DAY TWO OF TWO
April 24, 2007

BY TIM NOVAK Staff Reporter/tnovak@suntimes.com

In 1984, Rezko went to work for Crucial Concessions Inc., owned by Herbert Muhammad, whose father, Elijah Muhammad, founded the Nation of Islam.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 10:38 AM ET | 03-21-2008

It's not that the handshake and photo are significant or that they show a relationship between Clinton and Wright that matches the relationship between Obama and Wright. What this demonstrates is that Rev. Wright was respected enough to be invited to the White House with other religious leaders. He is not some fanatical nut on the fringes.

Sent by Michelle | 10:47 AM ET | 03-21-2008

This certainly bolsters Obama's assertion that Wright is a respected and powerful leader -- respected enough to be in the audience for Bill Clinton's mea culpa speech at the White House -- and not the fringe lunatic that HRC & others would have us all believe.

Sent by Marla | 10:48 AM ET | 03-21-2008

Sent by Marla: This certainly bolsters Obama's assertion that Wright is a respected and powerful leader

So, what you are saying is that Barack Obama respects the words of Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

The videos of Jeremiah Wrights' speeched can be found on youtube.

fred camorra call

Sent by fred camorra call | 10:57 AM ET | 03-21-2008

Watching this campaign I feel like I'm watching an elementary school playground, and sadly coming to the conclusion that both Clinton and Obama may be too childish and immature to be President of this country. Oh wait, we already do have a child running the country, so maybe they're perfect.

Sent by Karen | 11:19 AM ET | 03-21-2008

Obama has a quandry. If he doesn't do whatever he can to deflect the difficulties created by the Wright situation, he allows himeself to become a target for whatever his enemies want to throw at him. If he does respond, at least as he has re the Clinton/Wright photo, he lowers himself to their level.

Sent by Libby Margoluis | 11:21 AM ET | 03-21-2008

The talk shows of Laura Engram, Hannity, Rush are nothing but a modern day extension of the klan. Their tool of lynching is not the noose because it is a crime, their tool is the airwaves!!! people need to be aware of this how can drug addicts like Rush be influencing elections (outrageous), who knows about Hannity's life anyway, it may be just as sordid.

Sent by Ty | 11:21 AM ET | 03-21-2008

"-- and not the fringe lunatic that HRC & others would have us all believe."

I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that Clinton is trying to lead people to believe Wright as a fringe lunatic. Clinton's never made this statement or suggestion, has kept very quiet on this issue, and said in her own televised speech it was Obama's issue to deal with, not hers. I strongly, pleadingly suggest that people do research before posting gossip and wishful thinking as facts. It helps no one's campaign and continues this cycle of childish bickering.

Sent by Karen | 11:26 AM ET | 03-21-2008

History repeats itself again with the public clamoring for one flaw which they can claim is enough to move away from, perhaps, the most gifted and talented candidate, in this case, Barack Obama. Guilt by association, something in the past, misspeak, race or gender. Proves to me the propensity of humans to hate each other continues. In psychological terms it is called tunnel vision.

Sent by pragmatic pete | 11:37 AM ET | 03-21-2008

Taking a picture is totally different from having a twenty tear old relationship.I do not know what the Obama campaign is trying. It is the same as Rezko being pictured with BC and HRC.It still does not answer the questions about the good judgement which Mr. Obama has been talking about.

Sent by PS | 11:48 AM ET | 03-21-2008

Who cares?! It was a photo-op, period. It wasn't a long-standing relationship.

To Marla: Respected by whom!? Yes, he was invited to the dinner, but you certainly don't believe the President sought out ALL of the invitees. A President has many photo opportunities, just as candidates & I bet they can't even remember half of these people's names. Somebody said "invite him," he passed the background check & attended the event. There is no great respect by the Clintons here as there is from Obama.

Sent by Carey | 12:45 PM ET | 03-21-2008

Has anyone actaully viewed the ENTIRE videos of the clips that have playing over and over? The editors or decision makers who decide what news their newsroom will be reporting should simply cut this off. What exactly is motivating this?

Sent by DB | 12:51 PM ET | 03-21-2008

Indeed a brand new style of politics.

Brazenly say you are doing one thing and then do another thing and hope the rubes won't notice, and if they do, hope that you've gotten them so emotionally invested in you that they will defend you to the death.

Theres that "change" we've been hearing about. lol

Sent by deek | 1:34 PM ET | 03-21-2008

by naijaman

Fri Mar 21, 2008 at 07:11:04 AM PDT

The truth about the Reverend Wright controversy is now starting to be revealed: The media manufactured it for ratings. How else can one explain the fact that anyone who actually takes the time to watch any of the videos would have a different impression from the one being pushed by ABC/NBC/CNN/MSNBC and most especially FOX?

I decided to pull of the video of Reverend Wright's sermon in which he allegedly made the comments blaming America for 9/11, and guess what I found? He was quoting Ambassador Edward Peck, who made those comments on FOX NEWS (oh, the irony) the day after the 9/11 attacks. Here is the evidence:
http://www.youtube.com/...

Around the 3-minute mark, Reverend Wright asks the church members if they saw the ambassador on Fox News, and what he had said. Then he proceeds to pull out a sheet of paper, and read the words of ambassador Peck.

This is another example of how the media has manufactured a controversy in order to sway the American public. We all should be very concerned about the media in the country, because after all...this is the same crowd that gave us the Iraq war.

Sent by Steve Osterday | 1:05 AM ET | 03-23-2008

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