Obama Repudiates Wright

I heard Joe's voice asking a question at the Obama news conference a few minutes ago, and I'm sure you will be hearing more from him about it. The other sound I think I heard was a big sigh of relief from some of Obama's leading backers, who have been distraught in recent days by what they believe is Obama's unwillingness--and even inability--to show anger and passion when he needs to.

If you missed it, Obama finally made the break with his former minister, repeatedly calling himself "saddened," "angry" and even "outraged" at Jeremiah Wright's performance at the National Press Club yesterday. "The person I saw yesterday was not the person I had come to know over 20 years," Obama said. Later he added: "Obviously, whatever relationship I had with Reverend Wright has changed as a result of this. ... There wasn't anything constructive out of yesterday. All it was was a bunchof rants that aren't grounded in truth, and I can't construct something positive out of that. ... There's been great damage. It may have been understandable on his part [to want to clear his own name], but I do not see that relationship being the same after this."

Obama said he felt particularly betrayed by Wright's suggestion that the Senator's previous efforts to distance himself from his former minister's most inflammatory comments had been mere political posturing.