Obama: Wright no 'perpetual distraction'

by John McCormick

INDIANAPOLIS - Gathered under a park pavilion with three-dozen supporters, Sen. Barack Obama and his wife sought to change topics today from the ongoing controversy surrounding their former Chicago pastor.

But then Marc Bilodeau, an economics professor who lives here, asked the question:

"Recently you have been forced to basically turn your back on someone who had been a good friend for a long time," said Bilodeau. "I wonder if you could tell us how much a toll this takes on you to be forced by attacks, sometimes unfair attacks on people, to have to have to turn your back on people who have been good to you in the past?"

In answering, Obama tried to make the case that the voters are being shortchanged by what he considers campaign distractions.

"The situation with Rev. Wright was difficult. I won't lie to you. He's somebody who married us, he had baptized our children, he has done good things in terms of building the church," Obama began. "But, frankly, what he said over the last few days and in some of the sermons that have been excerpted were unacceptable and weren't things that we believed in or cared about, or cared to believe in."

Obama said his statement on Wednesday against Wright was "hard to make," but he is also trying to put the matter behind him, if that is possible.

"What we want to do now, though, is to make sure that this doesn't continue to be a perpetual distraction," he said.

"It is true that part of the job when you're running for president is that anybody who is tangentially, you know, even remotely, associated with you is somehow fair game. And that's unfortunate because most of us in our lives, you know, we meet people, we know people, some people we work with or we sit on a board with. We don't really go vet them and find out all the terrible things they might have done because, you know, we don't know, or what they said to see if it's politically correct. Look, the truth is when you are running for president, that's part of the deal. And I accept that because I think it's important for the American people to know who I am and what my values are and what I stand for."

But Obama also said that not enough attention is devoted to his qualities as a family man and his modest upbringing.

"Michelle and I do stand for, though, is the values that helped raise us and that we are now passing on to our kids," he said. "That doesn't get talked enough about. The fact that Michelle and I both some from modest backgrounds, that both of us saw our parents struggle."

Obama suggested the Wright controversy and others are getting in the way of solving problems.

"Unfortunately, I think, over the last couple of months, instead of focusing on how do we can make everybody's lives better, and how do we make sure that everybody can make their kids achieve the American dream, there's been a lot of distractions and negative attacks," he said. "We want to get back to talking about you. This campaign is not about me. It's not about John McCain. It's not about Hillary Clinton. It's about you."

Appearing at his side, Michelle Obama also stressed that her husband should not be judged by the words or actions of others.

"Don't judge Barack by anything other than what he does and says. Just measure it by the choices he's made in his life," she said. "If anybody looks over the course of this year, you won't have a question about who Barack is. He has been very consistent, not just this year, but throughout his entire life."

Michelle Obama also offered a criticism of the presidential process.

"When was the last time we have heard some really solid questions from these candidates on education, in a debate, in a forum?" she asked. "I mean, you all know about the issues in our personal lives. But this is, you know, what Barack is saying: education is the thing we should be angry about. That's the thing we should really want to know is where's the passion of these candidates that's going to show that when it's time to fight the fight and set up these priorities, where is education going to fall?"

She also suggested that his ability to inspire people should not be discounted.

"The only person who is revving people up like that, you know, the only person in this race who is doing that and will continue to do it is Barack," she said. "So, I would just say: don't be fooled. Inspiration is everything. It is where change begins and ends."

Still, she offered her familiar refrain about wishing he was in another line of work.

"I'm the cynic in the family. This is the hope guy," she said. "I've spent my life trying to convince him not to be a politician. It's like teach, write, sing, dance. I don't care what you do. Just don't do this. These people are mean."