How nice is it to have a candidate who actually writes his own speeches?

Since everyone else is, then he has to also. He'll do fine.

I wish him luck- if it's a good a speech as he's capable of, it could do a lot of good even outside the context of the campaign.

I hope some people are starting to realize just what a minefield Mr. "Lucky to be who he is" actually has to navigate. If he were white he'd have had the nomination sewed up long since.

Mitt Romney didn't give "a JFK speech." Mitt Romney pulled out the Dominionist code book and gave a long, loud dog whistle to the Christofacist kooks, assuring them that Mormons were faithful fellow travellers with them on the road to theocracy.

They didn't buy it.

No way could Obama give a speech like that. What's he going to do, stand there looking like his Dad and tell the "I'm not a racist but . . ." white guys that he's one of them?

It is completely predictable that he has to address the race issue. As soon as a white candidate begins to feel pressure from a black candidate, the race card drops on the table. It's an automatic play; the smart money understands that it's irresponsible not to use a ready-made winning strategy. It's like a loaded gun - if you carry one around for protection, eventually you'll encounter a situation where you "have to" protect yourself. It's not about gentility, it's about prevailing.

I can only fault him because he didn't see it coming and address it a lot sooner. It might have saved some ugliness.

Wasn't it just a week ago that Geraldine Ferraro was saying how easy it was for a Black man to be elected? B.S. In the end, this entire story comes down to the long held notion that White people fear Black men, Black anger, and Black culture. It's really sad. I'm truly convinced though that once this immediate controversy is over, Obama will be a stronger candidate and will allow him to get back on message rather than responding to the race-bait by Clinton surrogates and the MSM.

Note: I also feel that this whole thing was pushed out by the press in response to the bad press Ferraro received for her racially insensitive remarks. Don't tell me Clinton's not behind this.

I have become appalled by the reactions to Barack concerning his pastor (Rev. Wright). I think that only because Billary (Bill & Hillary Clinton) began this race issue is this a big problem. First of all why are we discussing church within a state issue, these two are supposed to be two separate entities. Second why does he (Barack Obama) have to defend what his pastor says when he probably was not even present when this sermon was given.
One thing white America does not understand is the black church, how many of you have set inside the walls of a black church and understood the emotion, the comfort, the spirit that pours out of it, because we (the black church) derived from our ancestors (slaves) who only had the church to make it through working for someone who kept them from the outside world, from knowing what it really means to be an American. I go back to my thought from the beginning, when I first heard we had a black….excuse me, Barack is not only black he is interracial (a black father and a white mother).
I said that FEAR (1. (n) An unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. 2. An instance of this emotion) would make this campaign an ugly battle. It is because of this instance of emotion and not thought that we as democrats are in the position we are in. The FEAR to white America that a man of color, with higher education than most of them can spell-now has the opportunity to run this country (FEAR). That because a man of color has not only black people and supporters but white people and antagonist hanging on his every word (FEAR). This Fear is what will make us find the right in Barack and make it seem wrong.
I do not believe that it is because Barack Obama’s pastor made these comments that is so fiery, it is because Barack is a man of color, and because he chastised (White America) that there is a problem (FEAR). As the previous leaders before Barack that stood for the rights of those of color have been criticized before him and some even killed, I guess it shows that we have not really grown from the days of John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King.
We are here talking about Rev. Wright who only gave his personal opinion (a 30 second snippet) of what he deems is right to him, and most people probably believe what he said. This man has been a spiritual advisor of Barack’s for over 20 years, and someone went and dug up 30 seconds of a sermon that was spoken a while ago, that really is a caricature of him as a person. I say that I don’t care who you are and how non-racist you think you may be; we have all said things about the other race that we hoped no one would know we have said.

1. Is Hillary Clinton a black man living in this world.
2. Does Hillary Clinton know what it is to be called a Ni99a.
3. Has Hillary Clinton had to struggle with being viewed as society’s reject just because of her color.
4. Has Hillary Clinton not been given what is due to her because of her color?
5. Does Hillary Clinton know what it is like to be with your parents and denied entrance into a restaurant, movie, park, bus, etc because of the color of her skin?
6. Has Hillary Clinton known what it is like to see your family (ancestors) hung from trees, sprayed with fire hoses, drug out her house and family raped/killed because she is black?

Now what Rev. Wright said should probably have not been spoken in the pulpit (because as we know church and state are supposed to be separate), but never the less he spoke the truth. She has NO IDEA on what it is like to be black, a man, nor a black man.

Who is covering the speech.

I am unable to find it on cable or network.

Was it pre-empted by hillary?

Why to white ass politicians never explian their relationship with Fallwell, Robertson or Hagee? And last week a moron from Hillary camp called him "lucky" he was not white.

White guys get a free pass allthe time for their church connections with crazy pastors and a black guy is literally framed as a traitor.

It's tragic.

The clintons had their thirsty mouths dipped in several gutters for years now. However, the White Fairy Queen managed to bully the system, the media and Obama camp ever since a week before TX,OH primaries by her freak shows and shinanigans.

The drama queen with a lump in her throat declared she'll disclose her tax returns even possibly before the March 4 primary;

White House records- undisclosed
Tax returns- undisclosed
Ear mark spending- undisclosed

First hand political whores, white guys with a crazy white minister are welcome.

Virgin Hillary for 08!!

The videos showed the most controverisal parts of the speeched. That's what the media does regardless of race. You think the showed the whole beginning part of the speech where Bill Clinton said Obama's claim that he's been consistent against the Iraq war was a fairytale was unfairly spliced to say that Bill Clinton said Obama's candidacy was a fairy tale. The Obama campaign let this play out in SC without correcting the record until after the fact leaving the impression that Bill was being "racist" and dismissive of Obama. I'm sure you though that was unfair as well and criticized the media for that.

That said I don't think his words were taken out of context at all. If they were, please give an example. The media is not unfairly portraying Reverend Wright as an "angry black man" - he did a fine job at that all on his own.

I'm going to ask this again: Is there any evidence in Obama's speeches or writings that shows he's of the same mindset of the cherry-picked Wright rants?

Bigotry is in the eye of the beholder. I am sure that there are some people who think Reverend Wright's comments are bigoted. Apparently you don't have an issue with them.

Speech on Drudge, won't work:

"For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time."

OJ is GUILTY of murder and should have suffered the death penalty. Smart move Obama, bring up OJ.

For those asking where you can watch the speech, it hasn't started yet (10:45am), so you still have time - it's being shown on CNN, if you get it.

He doesn't have to say anything to shut it down. This will be the speech in which white people will only listen for touchstones that let them off the hook for being racist. That's what this whole escapade is all about. It's just another instance of black people having to appease white people so they can continue to feel smug and superior.

That said, the Obama candidacy continues to be an against-the-odds modern marvel. I have maintained consistently since New Hampshire (where polling was not borne out in actual voting) that the Bradley Effect is alive and well and that we stand on the edge of it all the time. That's why small things like the Reverend Wright's comments so easily tip the campaign toward trouble. We live right on that edge. But Obama is a one-of-a-kind candidate and expectations are placed on him, right or wrong, that would never be placed on any other candidate. It's a bummer, certainly, but it's a part of broader cultural change that is required in order for everyone to move forward. The story of race in America is the story of struggle. None of it has ever come easy. I think Obama understands this, which is why he always comes across as so level-headed and even-tempered. He's studied history and understands what's at stake.

The best way for Obama supporters to view this is to understand that we are sitting inside a historical moment, trying hard to push a nation forward. Will it work out? In many ways, it already has.

McCain just had to make the trek to Bob Jones U. to prove his cred as "white enough" to be President. In 2000, he wasn't quite, cause he had that black baby, you know. Now he can stand proudly next to Hagee, and Parsley can praise him, and a whole host of others. It's okay for him to rub shoulders with anti-Semites like Rev. Billy Graham and his son Franklin. With gay-bashers, with "holy men drawn to preach the word" filled with hate for women who have abortions and doctors who provided that service. He can stand side by side with preachers who blamed New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, who clucked their tongues and said, "they brought it on themselves." When the Twin Towers fell, some of the same "wise" Christian men lifting McCain to his pedastal, were blaming New York City for their destruction.

Hillary Clinton drops in periodically on black churches to refine her black accent. She'll say she's "No ways tired," or talk about life on the plantation called "Congress". But back on the plantation, Hillary isn't in the slave quarters. Hillary doesn't vote or support her "peeps back in the 'hood." And speaking of that 'hood. What does it say to the talented NY politicians who are black or Puerto Rican who have proved their mettle, gathered experience, work hard for their constituents only to be trumped by the former First Lady, who with no firsthand political experience, parachutes in (carpetbagging being so last 19th century) and becomes the junior senator from New York. The wink and the nod. The acknowledgment that black people are okay when she needs their votes, but expendable when she wants the nomination and there is a black man standing in her way.

Ano now, having being mesmerized, entralled, glued to my seat, cheering and applauding, this man and this speech, I can finally say the real, truthful, painful, healing, enlightening, uplifting national discussion on race.

Now as the Senator said you can choose to focus on this issue, or focus on the real problems that face all of us and do not dwell in just the inner city, or white suburbs or rural farm towns, that affect all of us, black, brown, red, yellow, and white, rich and poor, Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist, agnostic and every variation in between, that touch man and woman alike.

Amen and Hallelujah!