I do not condone Wright’s church or Obama’s connection to it.
And yet, he doesn’t belong to Farrakhan’s group, nor do he and his wife worship at a Mosque.
I believe Obama connected with Wright in order to establish a bond with African-Americans. It may cost him politically, but the white Christians in Iowa who voted for Obama were probably more concerned about ethanol when they voted, or a Democratic ticket, than they were with Wright’s rhetoric, or Obama’s religious affiliation.
For example, his brother Roy opted for Islam over Christianity, as Obama recounted when describing his 1992 wedding.
“The person who made me proudest of all,” Obama wrote, “was Roy. Actually, now we call him Abongo, his Luo name, for two years ago he decided to reassert his African heritage. He converted to Islam, and has sworn off pork and tobacco and alcohol.”
Abongo “Roy” Obama is a Luo activist and a militant Muslim who argues that the black man must “liberate himself from the poisoning influences of European culture.” He urges his younger brother to embrace his African heritage.
http://www.theobamafile.com/ObamaFamily.htm
Obama, March 18: “I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community.”
Wright, April 28: “This is not an attack on Jeremiah Wright. It is an attack on the black church.”