Who Is Rev. Wright Blaming for His Inability to Get Through to Obama?
Thursday, June 11, 2009
By Chris Wallace
Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Not Making the Wright Noises
President Obama's former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, says White House officials will not allow his former church member to contact him. Wright tells the Chicago Tribune: "Them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me. They will not allow him to talk to somebody — who calls a spade what it is."
Wright's sermons blaming the US for 9/11, and charging that the government created the AIDS virus, caused an uproar last year and led Obama to leave his church. But Wright says he has no regrets: "Regret for what? That the media went back 5, 7, 10 years, and spent $4,000 buying 20 years worth of sermons?"
Wright attempted to clarify his remarks during a radio interview today, saying he meant to use the word "Zionists" instead of "Jews."
Access Denied
The White House has turned down a second request from Senator Charles Grassley for a list of exemptions granted to President Obama's ethics policy restricting lobbyists who work for the administration. The Politico newspaper reports the Iowa Republican wrote to the Office of Government Ethics: "The American people deserve a full accounting — of all waivers and recusals — to better understand who is running the government — and whether the administration is adhering to its promise — to be open, transparent and accountable."
Grassley made a similar request in March. The president's executive order bars former lobbyists who join the administration from working on issues they were previously involved with, unless he asks for a waiver.
Apples & Oranges
And Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece has lashed out at the man who compared the murder of an abortion doctor to her uncle's assassination. We reported Tuesday that late-term abortion doctor LeRoy Carhart told the Washington Times the death of George Tiller was, "the equivalent of Martin Luther King being assassinated."
Alveda King says, "For LeRoy Carhart to mention the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — who worked through peaceful and nonviolent means — in the same breath with that of George Tiller — whose work ended peace and brought violence to babies in the womb — is offensive beyond belief."
— FOX News Channel's Zachary Kenworthy contributed to this report.
