Obama made quite a speech this morning in response to the controversy surrounding his relationship with his pastor, Jeramiah Wright. I thought the speech deserved a thread of it's own so as to focus upon the speech itself rather than rehash the nebula of issues already out there. I would characterize it as the most defining moment (for better or for worse) in Obama's whole campaign to this point.

This speech was supposed to be Obama's most complete and final public response to the controversey...

- Did he do enough to dispel the negative aspects of the controversy?
- Does it change people's minds about the background of his church and his pastor?
- Did he explain or introduce anything that you didn't already know?
- Does it serve him politically to open up an honest discussion about race?

I definitely have my own take on it, but I'll share that later as I'd like the discussion about it to start without the usual OP pretense:

Video:
Obama Speech 3/18 - Part 1
Obama Speech 3/18 - Part 2

Transcript:
Transcript of Obama's speech - CNN.com

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Screw Change!! Let's have a Seamless Transition of Power and Policy.. John McSame in 2008!

Yes, I saw it too. In my opinion his speech leaves lots of questions unanswered.

My # 1 question is:

If he a man who claims to want to bring this country together, white & black, or as he states "transending the race issue", why on earth would he belong to a church like this? If he just "cringed" at his white grandmothers racial comments, then wouldn't Pastor Wright's deplorable comments make him so sick, that he would have found another church to attend?

He is giving this speech in an effort to calm the situation. But this speech was just another speech. Obama is trying to explain the unexplainable.

I thought it was a fantastic speech.

It shows me that Obama isn't a whimp. It shows me that Obama is a fighter. It shows me that Obama doesn't have rocks in his head. It shows me that Obama understands "the game" of dirty politics and is unwilling to play it. It shows me that he will continue to take his message directly to the American people and let them decide who Obama is rather than play the game out in the media through the spinnsters and mudslingers.

If anything Obama's stock has gone up in my book throughout this entire Pastor controversy.

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Every day Obama shows more and more that he is just another hypocritical politician. This speech, as well as his whole handling of this controversy, reinforce that.

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Success is measured in blood; yours or your enemy's.

To be blunt, if you are still "left with lot's of questions," I seriously doubt that you did watch his speech, as he did indeed answer your #1 "question." In your defense, I'm quite confident that you'll have plenty of company.

Smear on, dividers. You are fooling only yourselves.

My suggestion would be to all- read it even if you watched it. I watched, now I am reading it. I am in fact going to read it twice.
Hes no mean orator, that’s for sure, well done.

I will then square this all, helping me to make a decision based on what the difference is between living in the moment and living by the words. I urge all to do the same.

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Obama-e fungis nati homines....

In his speech today,

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2008®

Obama spoke of a Constitution "stained by this nation's original sin of slavery," spoke of a "white community" (as if such thing existed), and spoke in a language of division (Asians, African Americans, Hispanics) instead of a language of inclusion (Americans). It was race-laden when the candidate needed to return to the sucessful tactic of studiously avoiding the subject. Candidate Obama would have been wise to have heeded the wisdom of his opponent's predecessor in the Senate: America would benefit from "benign neglect" of the issue of race.

Flynn Files

Race baiting awaa-a-a-a-a-ay.

God it's amazing that he's doing this shit. This is hillaries fuckin' DREAM.

He is an incredible speech giver, that is for sure. Not so good on interviews and off the cuff tho. I watched the speech. At times thinking, ok, that sounds good, then at times saying....hey, you shouldnt be saying that. It gives me the creeps to think of the potus sitting in a church like that, listening to that anti american crap. He had to have known this was going to come back at him. He should have distanced himself a long time ago.

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~Barbara

Nice speech....however it was just as nice as his other speeches.

Obama is like cotton candy - looks impressive, and sweetens the senses....but in the end, a whole lot of hot air.

Did you read the speech?

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"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

I thought what Obama said in this portion of the speech summed it up for me.

Just up and leaving a church is not an easy thing. Being part of the Christian community is not just some voluntary thing that you can just leave when you want (some people do, but it shouldn't work that way). Church is a place where you are in deep relationship with everyone there and thats not easy to just pick up and leave.

Also, what we heard where clips of very long sermons. Taken out of context i have heard any number of things my pastors have said that could be viewed in a lot of horrible ways.

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"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent."
-John Calvin

So Obama's admittance that a racial divide exists in this country, and that it is very important that we rise above these racial divides, appears to be race-baiting to you?

It's really a sad day when a person can't come out and say we need to come together (blacks, whites, latinos, etc.) without being called divisive.

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"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”
- George Will

I think this speech was incredibly honest about race in our country today. It's not a speech I would have expected from a politician, especially one campaigning for POTUS. If he does become president, there will be questions (and rightly so) on how to heal racial divides in our country. But, I really respect his approach to it.

I don't think any other candidate this election season would have been this honest about the issue. It impressed me.

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He who learns but does not think is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger. --Confucius

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
--Sun Tzu

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
--African proverb

Obama says he will bring America together, yet attends a segregationist church......perfect!

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Are you a spineless slave to political correctness?

This is a thread about the speech. Unless you're talking about it in someway could you not clug it up with spam? Like, if you don't agree with the speech quote a section and make an argument against it. Otherwise you reveal that NOTHING Obama could do will change your mind.

The man spoke honestly and truthfully about race in America in the long and recent history. How can you hate it?

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Yesterday, John McCain actually said that if he’s president he’ll take on, and I quote, 'the old boys’ network in Washington.' I’m not making this up. This is somebody been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign. And now he tells us that he’s the one who’s gonna take on the old boys' network,” he said. “In the McCain campaign that’s called a staff meeting!- Obama, 9/17/2008