"I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan," Obama said in the statement. "I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decision with which I agree."
Obama is being more than a tad disingenuous. You can watch the three minute video tribute to Farrakhan that the Wrights posted on Youtube on 11/4/07 and see that they are praising Farrakhan to the high heavens for his stance on race. The smarmy lady narrator (who I would guess is Rev. Wright's daughter Jeri L. Wright, the publisher of his magazine Trumpet, and who does a radio talk show with Al Sharpton) says:
"Louis X, later renamed Louis Farrakhan, chose to dedicate his life to the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. He has been called one of the most misunderstood and misdefined leaders of our day. The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. infers that 'When Louis Farrakhan speaks, Black America listens.' His depth on analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is both astounding and eye-opening. His tremendous success is evidenced by his mosques and study groups in over 120 cities in America, Europe, the Caribbean, and missions in West Africa and South Africa devoted to the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. His success is solidified in his ability to compel one million men to take publicly take charge of their own fate. In the words of Father Michael Pfleger, 'His leadership has evolved, and I believe the coming days will see him as a unifying force, calling real Christians, real Jews and real Muslims to come together on principles of truth and justice.'"I don't hear the world "prisoners" or any reference to prisoner rehabilitation in the video.Of course, the real issue is not that Obama is a follower of Farrakhan (which he isn't), it's that Obama is a follower of Wright. And Obama doesn't address that.
