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Speaking at a press conference today, Barack Obama finally tried to distance himself from his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It appears Wright's "performance," as Obama called it, at the National Press Club finally put him over the edge. If he had done this at the start of the controversy, it may have saved him from the serious damage that is being done to his campaign by Wright's reappearance on the political scene.

Because John McCain and other legislators worry that they are easily corrupted, there are legal limits to the monetary contributions that anyone can make to political candidates. There are, however, no limits to the rhetorical contributions that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright can make to McCain’s campaign. Because Wright is a gift determined to keep on giving, this question arises: Can persons opposed to Barack Obama’s candidacy justly make use of Wright’s invariably interesting interventions in the campaign? The answer is: Certainly, because Wright’s paranoias tell us something—exactly what remains to be explored—about his 20-year parishioner. In yesterday’s speech at the...

Bill Moyers Journal to Air First Television Interview With Reverend Jeremiah Wright Since ControversyMonday April 21, 8:58 am ET Source: Bill Moyers Journal NEW YORK, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Reverend Jeremiah Wright will be interviewed on PBS this week by Bill Moyers in his first broadcast interview with a journalist since he became embroiled in a controversy for his remarks and his relationship with Barack Obama. Wright, who retired in early 2008 as pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where Senator Obama is a member, has been at the center of controversy for comments he made...

On the 7th of February, 2006, Coretta Scott King was memorialized at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia, eight days after her death from complications of a stroke at the age of 78. Among the thousands of people in attendance were President George W. Bush and his First Lady, Laura. Former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton were also there, as well as former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter.

Some in the black community are beginning to question what happened to the black leadership during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, especially in the city of New Orleans. While a few black leaders, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Congressional Black Caucus, have singled out the president for blame, others say Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who is black, is responsible for the dismal response to the flooding that stranded thousands in the city's poorest sections.

AP STORY From the article or Rev. Graham's American revival meeting in New York: "I was just a little boy and I'll never forget it," said Clinton, who was joined by his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I've loved him ever since. God bless you, friend." Graham called the Clintons "wonderful friends" and "a great couple," quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow "his wife to run the country." =================================================================== When some of you read the above, it probably evoked projectile vomiting. I fought it off. The words of Rev. Graham were not welcome to...

Where is Reverend Al Sharpton's apology? "Black leader" and former presidential candidate Al Sharpton recently capped off a busy week by demanding apologies from Mexican President Vicente Fox and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca. Fox, in defending Mexican illegals working in America, said such workers take jobs that "even blacks" refuse to do. Enter Sharpton. He demanded an apology, arguing Fox's words "confirm the stereotype that blacks are the lowest peons in the workforce of this country." Although Fox promptly "clarified" his remarks and told Sharpton that he "regretted any hurt feelings," Sharpton remains unappeased. "If I step on...

Friday November 7, 2003 Dear Yahoo!: What church is the Reverend Al Sharpton associated with?Thomas Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Thomas: Alfred Sharpton, Jr., is a minister of the Pentecostal Church with no fixed parish. The Pentecostal Church is an evangelical Protestant movement that emphasizes glossolalia, or speaking in tongues. It was founded in 1901 and has approximately 10 million members in the United States. Pentecostal sermons are noted for their fervor. Sharpton started on his path to religious piety at a young age. An active member of the church since the tender age of 4, the Brooklyn native was dubbed a...

By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer Published February 28, 2005 WASHINGTON - It was cold and snowy outside the Heritage Foundation, the nation's leading conservative think tank, but the rhetoric inside was collar-tugging hot. The entitlement state has replaced personal responsibility for too many black Americans. So-called civil rights leaders are too quick to blame racism for dysfunction within the black community, rather than an urban culture that often rejects education and glorifies vulgarity. Although it is getting easier, African-Americans are still too timid about speaking out for the right, for fear of being tarred as turncoats and Uncle Toms....

King legacy honored Pols, schools evoke dream BY BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Manhattan Country School on E. 96th St. sponsors march from school to Central Park yesterday in observance of Martin Luther King Day. With soulful songs and stirring speeches, New Yorkers of all colors remembered the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. yesterday. Gov. Pataki paused to praise the civil rights leader for his courageous fight against injustice that was cut short by an assassin's bullet. "Thank God for the memory, for the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," Pataki said at a ceremony in Albany, where...

ATLANTA - Martin Luther King Jr.'s youngest child lit a torch at her father's tomb last month to kick off a march advocating a ban on gay marriage, creating a strong image linking the slain civil rights icon to today's heated social debate.       But just nine months earlier, King's widow defended the rights of gays and lesbians in a speech at a New Jersey college.       King never publicly spoke on gay rights while leading the charge toward racial equality in the 1950s and '60s, but the clash over gay marriage has prompted people close to his legacy to...

I was doing some thinking and a bit of research, and I found out that the Dumbacrats did not really ever do as much for African-Americans as the Republican Party has. In lieu of such evidence, why don't Blacks vote Republican? Are they just not aware of it? So I wanted to present some key notes and as if anyone had any other thoughts. 1863- Emmancipation Proclamation under Republican Lincoln. Sure, it did not officially free the slaves right away, but it set the seeds for its eventual destruction. Post Civil War- The Republican congress passed the 13th, 14th, and...

Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to US President George Bush to complain about America's policy towards the Middle East. The letter is similar to one written by 52 former British diplomats to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week. The former US diplomats complained that President Bush's approach is losing the US "credibility, prestige and friends". They criticised what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The American diplomats said they were deeply concerned by Mr Bush's endorsement last month of Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza. 'Great danger' They were...

Davis Campaigns with Top Demos Sat Oct 4, 5:28 PM ET Sue McGuire for KCBS-740 AM (KCBS-AP) -- Fighting to save his job in Tuesday's California recall election Governor Gray Davis has been traveling the state by plane accompanied by some big guns from the Democratic party. KCBS reporter Bob Butler says with Davis were folks like U-S Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Their first stop was a labor rally in Oakland. "Even if you are frustrated, a frustrated chicken cannot vote for Colonel Saunders. It is not in your interest,"...

Every generation or so, there comes a statesman who is so compelling that liberal Democrats, conservative Republicans and disenfranchised blacks can all get excited and be unified in their support. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who is now running for president, is such a man. And his candidacy is no joke. Those who know him love him. They're crazy about him -- or maybe they're just crazy. Here's some surprising news that has not received a great deal of press attention: According to the latest Zogby International survey, race baiter and anti-Semite Rev. Al Sharpton is now favored over all other...