Wright appearance at National Press Club "not helpful" to Obama campaign

WASHINGTON — Even before a defiant Rev. Jeremiah Wright appeared at the National Press Club Monday morning, Barack Obama's chief strategist assessed the impact that Obama's former minister's media blitz would likely have on the Illinois senator's campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

To the extent that voters believe Obama shares the views of Wright, a charismatic and fiesty Chicago preacher noted for his fiery sermons, "it's obviously not helpful," Obama strategist David Axelrod said on MSNBC just minutes before Wright took the podium at the National Press Club, one of Washington's most prestigious forums.

Indeed, when Wright had completed his remarks and responded to questions from the club's audience, political experts suggested that the controversy over the minister, fueled by a series of highly publicized appearances over the weekend, is benefiting the Republican Party as much as Wright's efforts to preserve his legacy.

"Wright and the Republicans both have an interest in keeping the controversy going," said John Pitney, a professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College. "He gets publicity and they get ammunition."

"It became crystal clear at the National Press Club that Rev. Wright's top priority is not the election of Senator Obama as president," said Larry Sabato, founder of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. "He appears to be thoroughly enjoying his time in the spotlight, and either he cannot see that it is hurting Obama or doesn't care. . . This can't be assisting Obama's chances in Indiana."

Indiana and North Carolina are the next states to hold presidential primaries between Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, and Obama is re-calibrating his campaign in the Hoosier state in order to win over the white working-class voters that have been drifting away from him since the controversy over Wright first surfaced weeks ago.

The controversy began with the Internet posting of portions of sermons Wright had delivered at the Trinity United Church of Christ, which Obama and his wife Michelle have attended for 20 years. The posted videos included provocative remarks by Wright that the AIDS virus was created by the U.S. government to kill black people and, most notably, the suggestion that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were America's "chickens coming home to roost." He punctuated his remarks with this: "God bless America? No, God damn America."

Obama has since distanced himself from Wright's remarks but refused to disown him. The controversy led to a remarkable speech by Obama in Philadelphia on March 18 in which he appealed to blacks and whites to try to understand each other better on matters of race.

But Wright, who had largely avoided the public arena since he became an issue in the presidential campaign, made up for lost time in recent days, with an interview with Bill Moyers that aired on PBS Friday night, a speech Sunday night to the NAACP in Detroit that cable news channels carried live and his remarks Monday here at the National Press Club.

At the club, Wright cited author Ralph Ellison's "The Invisible Man" in pointing out that "in far too many instances, (the black community) still is invisible to the dominant culture in terms of its rich history, its incredible legacy and its multiple meanings."

Wright portrayed the criticism of him as attacks on the rich traditions of the black church. "This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. It is an attack on the black church," he said. The controversy "has nothing to do with Senator Obama" either, he said.

He accused the news media of sensationalizing his sermons. His critics "have never heard my sermons, nor do they know me," he said. "They are unfair accusations taken from sound bites, and . . . which is looped over and over again on certain channels."

And he steadfastly refused to apologize for anything he has said, including his assertion that the Sept. 11 attacks were retaliation for U.S. foreign policy.

"You cannot do terrorism on other people and not expect it to come back to you," he said in response to a question about his "God damn America" comments.

And when asked about his suggestion that the AIDS virus was created by the government to kill blacks, he replied, "Based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything."

Explaining his relationship with Obama, Wright said, "I'm not a spiritual mentor . . . I'm his pastor." As for Obama distancing himself from his pastor, Wright said, "Politicians say what they say and do what they do based on electability, based on sound bites, based on polls," he said. "Preachers say what they say because they are pastors. They have a different person to whom they're accountable."

When asked about Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who accused Israel of practicing "a dirty religion," Wright said, "Louis Farrakhan is not my enemy. He did not put me in chains, he did not put me in slavery and he didn't make me this color."

In response to critics who have questioned his patriotism," Wright quipped, "I served six years in the military. Does that make me patriotic? How many years did (Vice President Dick) Cheney serve?"

Wright enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1961. After two years, he joined the Navy and became a medical corpsman, serving four years.

During the six years Wright was on active duty with the Marines and the Navy, Cheney applied for and got five deferments from the draft and thus avoided military service completely.