Stories related to: Rev. Jeremiah Wright

The controversial Catholic priest who mocked Hillary Clinton in a guest sermon from the pulpit of Barack Obama's church has been suspended from his own parish, reports the Chicago Tribune . Father Michael Pfleger was ordered to take a weeks-long leave of absence by Chicago's cardinal, "to reflect on his recent statements." Pfleger didn't agree that the leave was merited, the cardinal noted. More »

Barack Obama quit his longtime church today in an apparent attempt to quell its latest pulpit controversy, Politico reports. Obama resigned by letter to the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where a reverend accused Hillary Clinton this week of acting "entitled" to the presidency because she is white. Last month, Obama denounced Trinity's Rev. Jeremiah Wright for his heated racial sermons. More »

Barack Obama is a man who "instinctively resorts to parsing, evasions, and misdirection" writes Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal. Take the Rev. Jeremiah Wright episode—in 62 days, Obama offered eight different characterizations of the controversial preacher ranging from "an old uncle" to someone who "denigrate[s] both the greatness and the goodness of our nation." More »

Barack Obama appears to be recovering—mostly—from the furor over his former pastor's incendiary remarks, according to the latest CBS News / New York Times poll. His lead over Hillary Clinton has increased from 8 points to 12 points—50% to 38%—among Democratic primary voters, who also approve of how he handled the flap over comments by Rev. Jeremiah Wright, 68% to 22%. There's still some negative residue, however. More »

Barack Obama's controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright was making passes at a parishioner's wife when he was supposed to be giving the couple marriage counseling, the New York Post reports. "People were telling me that my extremely attractive wife was seen with the pastor," said Delmer Reed, who says he sought help at Trinity. "But I thought, 'So what?'" More »

Like Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey attended Jeremiah Wright's church but ultimately gave up on it, Newsweek reports. She went for nearly a decade, starting in 1984, and wasn't surprised by his angry sermons. But "Oprah is a businesswoman, first and foremost," a friend said. "She's always been aware that her audience is very mainstream, and doing anything to offend them just wouldn't be smart." More »

Voters are poised to embrace John McCain on a personal level even though their regard for the Republican Party has plummeted to an all-time low, according to a new Wall Street Journal/ NBC poll. Only 27% of the electorate have positive views of the GOP—the lowest level in the poll's 20-year history. Yet voters nevertheless identify with McCain's "background and set of values" 54% to 35%. More »

The controversial pastor who triggered trouble for Barack Obama delivered a fiery, unapologetic speech to a sold-out NAACP crowd in Detroit yesterday, blasting "corporate media" for painting him as un-American . "I am not running for the Oval Office," said the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  "I have been running for Jesus, and I'm not tired yet." Just hours earlier Wright reemerged as a campaign issue in comments by both Obama and McCain.  More »