WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the second day in a row, Senator Barack Obama sought to distance himself from the remarks made by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., and forcefully denounced the incendiary comments he feared would provide “comfort to those who prey on hate.”
“I’m outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday,” Mr. Obama said, speaking to reporters here today. He added, “I find these comments appalling. It contradicts everything that I’m about and who I am.”
Seeking to quell the political damage the controversy is dealing to his campaign, Mr. Obama called a press conference after a town meeting here this afternoon to raise the volume of his criticism of his former pastor. In his speech on race last month in Philadelphia, where he tried to put the matter behind him, Mr. Obama said he gave Mr. Wright the benefit of the doubt.
But after watching three days of Mr. Wright’s commentary in televised speeches and interviews, Mr. Obama said, “there are no excuses.”
“They offend me, they rightly offend all Americans and they should be denounced,” he said. “That’s what I am doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.”
Today, the comments by Mr. Obama were considerably stronger than any previous remarks he has made about Mr. Wright. Yesterday, he dismissed the remarks, but also criticized his opponents and the media for spending too much time dwelling on his former pastor.
Asked why the change in posture, Mr. Obama said he had not seen the televised comments until last night. When he did, he said they “shocked and surprised” him, and he decided to clarify his position.
The incident with Mr. Wright comes as Mr. Obama is seeking to persuade Democratic Party leaders that he is the strongest nominee to challenge Senator John McCain in the general election. Supporters of Mr. Obama feared that the wall-to-wall coverage of the comments – as well as the injection once again of race into the campaign – could weaken his position in the nominating fight with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“We’ll find out what impact it has,” Mr. Obama said, speaking solemnly and slowing during the 30-minute news conference.
Asked whether the matter should raise questions about his judgment, Mr. Obama did not directly answer, saying: “I did not vet my pastor before I decided to run for the presidency.”
“What particularly angered me is his suggestion somehow that my previous denunciation of his remarks was somehow political posturing,” Mr. Obama said. “Anybody who knows me and anybody who knows what I’m about knows that I’m about trying to bridge gaps and I see the commonality in all people.”