Obama's Former Pastor Talks to Bill Moyers

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright is no fan of Maureen Dowd! Bill Moyers's interview with the controversial former pastor of Barack Obama will air tomorrow night.

ABC News' Political Punch offered some excerpts of the interview:

"The persons who have heard the entire sermon understand the communication perfectly," he tells Moyers, according to excerpts released by Moyers' show.

"When something is taken like a sound bite for a political purpose and put constantly over and over again, looped in the face of the public," Wright says, "that's not a failure to communicate. Those who are doing that are communicating exactly what they want to do, which is to paint me as some sort of fanatic or as the learned journalist from the New York Times called me, a 'wackadoodle.'"

As for Obama's speech on race and criticism of him, Wright--who also said the sound bites were "unfair," "unjust," and "untrue--said, "He's a politician, I'm a pastor. We speak to two different audiences. And he says what he has to say as a politician. I say what I have to say as a pastor. But they're two different worlds. I do what I do. He does what politicians do."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 24, 2008 3:53 PM

Comments [rss]

sonyactivision

Bill Moyers' "preacher" says: "You're a fine young lad. Now come into my confessional and say a few Hail Marys with me..."

Snoopy

Mfer? Your lyrics don't rhyme. How can you break into the rap or the hippety hop recording scene without making the lyrics rhyme? The children on the street are trying to relate to all that shit and all.

Mike Tyson be the man. He be the best. He be on top of shit and all. He beat you up without breathing hard. He likes to beat up women also. He's the next Tyrone Tower of Power. Actually what is Mike doing now?

MFer

Sorry, but Snoopy gots you all beat on this one. And before you even think it, I live in your neighborhood. And in the immortal words of Mike Tyson,

My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!

Nice call on the censorship, Kino. That's when we all lose.

Rfive

Hey Snoop! You're kinda funny! You're probably black, which means you are enjoying this more than anyone else here.

Others: it's hard to be racist if you are in a place where race doesn't exist... The internet! This is not the real world! Don't lose your grip!

Snoopy

Why is it that so many of these black positioners get air time, but what some might say "white racists" don't?

berniegoetz

"Tomorrow night, Bill Moyers interview with the controversial former pastor of Barack Obama will air tomorrow night."

I went to Columbia, too.

Snoopy

I have a dream. A dream that one day there will not be a world of color, a world that an individual may walk in wisdom and will stop playing the damn racist card.

Snoopy

I know the other guy that I forgot. It's Goomba.

Snoopy

Winer. I have no desire to go to your neighborhood and probably 95% of those that live in your neighborhood would leave if given an honest chance.

Sommelier

Snoopy: You are a moron. Come on into my neighborhood and have the balls to speak that way out loud. I'll give you, oh... about fifteen seconds. What do you say? Or do you only act like an idiot when you can hide behind a screen name?

Snoopy

Actually I think there are four of us that reflect on the current condition that others consider racist. Let's see? Me of course, Spear Chucker, Al Sharpton. Damn I forget who the fourth individual is. Can someone help me out with that one?

Spirit of 76

Wow. Snoopy may actually be able to out-troll "Albert Sharpton" in the Gothamist race-baiting contest. No mean feat.

Snoopy

I have a problem? Perhaps Obama Sen Laden and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright have a problem.

spnder

"Tomorrow night, Bill Moyers interview with the controversial former pastor of Barack Obama will air tomorrow night."

Well played, sir... well played.

KinoSport

Third. In the interest of saving me a wasted click, Gothamist should start censoring its comments.

VanessaNYC

"Idiot much Snoopy?"

I second that comment.

CR

Idiot much Snoopy?

Snoopy

You got to be doing what you do and shit. Nowhaimean and shit. Thoes words be takin out of my mouth and stuff. I didn't say dem words indirectly to the people and all. I love Jesus and shit.

White people be good and all. Deys suppoert public housing and shit. Looks at that representadive Barron and his squeze? Dey be moving the black people in duh write direction.

JenChungsBaby

He's not doing Obama any favors by keeping this in the public eye or by reminding the world that Barack is, after all, a politician.

Tgirl

apparently the "sound bites" were lifted directly from a promotional CD that his church distributed publicly. I would say they are "fair game" in that case, not "unfair."