# McCain: I don't want to talk about Wright, but Obama made me do it!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 28, 2008, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159 "2008-04-28T00:53:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/21 "2008-04-28T21:15:14Z")

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[QUOTE=Zebra]  
McCain sought out Hagee’s endorsement. He went and kissed his white ass to get it.  
[/QUOTE]

Sure, but he kissed it all Maverick-like, which I assume means he muttered something about “Talk to me, Ronnie” while he did it.

-Joe

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**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/22 "2008-04-28T21:25:52Z")

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[QUOTE=Leaper]  
While I understand why you’re asking this, are you implying that being in the military universally means a good experience with them? That serving with them at any point in history must mean you always hold them in the highest respect? Certainly the military, especially under Bush, has done a lot to alienate people who might’ve once thought more highly of them.  
[/QUOTE]

He gave up his student deferment and left law school to join the Marines. Then when his tour was up he joined the Navy. It doesn’t _sound_ like he has a problem with the Marines or the military in general.  
Frostillicus isn’t implying anything. _You_ are inferring something.

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**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/23 "2008-04-28T21:29:00Z")

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Loos like McCain’s in good company: [Fox’s Chris Wallace feels exactly the same way!](http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/04/27/sunday-quote-of-the-day.aspx)

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**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/24 "2008-04-28T21:36:43Z")

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[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]  
Bah weep grana’a weep minibong.  
[/QUOTE]

Actually “colorless green ideas sleep furiously” is the phrase I use in these situations.

Regards,  
Shodan

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/25 "2008-04-28T22:16:37Z")

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[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy]  
Loos like McCain’s in good company: [Fox’s Chris Wallace feels exactly the same way!](http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/04/27/sunday-quote-of-the-day.aspx)  
[/QUOTE]

I saw the interview, and I thought it was informative. Wallace is a pretty good interviewer, and not cut out of the usual Fox mold. He’s no Tim Russert\*, but he’s still pretty good. Obama was smart to do that interview, because the Fox viewers who do like Wallace are probably the ones he has the best chance of appealing to.

\*Yeah, I know Russert is often reviled on this MB, but he’s got a good reputation and he’s the best there is out there on the networks.

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**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/26 "2008-04-28T23:18:20Z")

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[QUOTE=Gala Matrix Fire]  
He gave up his student deferment and left law school to join the Marines. Then when his tour was up he joined the Navy. It doesn’t _sound_ like he has a problem with the Marines or the military in general.  
Frostillicus isn’t implying anything. _You_ are inferring something.  
[/QUOTE]

Well, maybe I am.

But I think it’s an unfounded assumption that, just because a man joined the military eagerly at some point in his life, it’s _impossible_ for him to hold a different opinion about it later in life. This is ESPECIALLY given the extremely unpopular war that started up just relatively recently.

Anyway, I think Wright probably did make a statement similar to the centurion thing. I have no idea of its context, or its exact phrasing, or how “bad” it really is. It’s probably been blown out of proportion like everything else.

I just think it’s not impossible that Wright’s opinion of the military today is lower than it used to be.

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**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/27 "2008-04-29T02:39:16Z")

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[QUOTE=Leaper]  
Well, maybe I am.

But I think it’s an unfounded assumption that, just because a man joined the military eagerly at some point in his life, it’s _impossible_ for him to hold a different opinion about it later in life. This is ESPECIALLY given the extremely unpopular war that started up just relatively recently.

Anyway, I think Wright probably did make a statement similar to the centurion thing. I have no idea of its context, or its exact phrasing, or how “bad” it really is. It’s probably been blown out of proportion like everything else.

I just think it’s not impossible that Wright’s opinion of the military today is lower than it used to be.  
[/QUOTE]

So nobody actually has the quote that McCain is referring to? Its not like anyone would take the good reverend out-of-context, but still…

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**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/28 "2008-04-29T09:40:07Z")

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I did a quick search and couldn’t find either a video clip or a quote of what Wright said in the first place.  
Last night on a news show I happened to see a clip of him saying that the United States had stationed troops all over the world just like the Romans had stationed troops all over the known world…I don’t know if that was the original statement that started the fooferaw or if that was his explanation later. This particular statement is obviously about the policies of the elected officials of our country, and has nothing to do with the Marines as an institution or about individual Marines as people.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/29 "2008-04-29T12:37:16Z")

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Yeah, I"ve been trying to find a text or clip of Wright saying something about Marines and Roman Legionnaires. Trouble is, it’s merely McCain paraphrasing a sermon, picking and choosing things from different parts of same.

[Here’s](http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/03/the-wright-post.html) a page which has the text _and_ a video. I haven’t listened to the video, but reading the first four paragraphs, you can see how McCain put the association together, apparently to play to the religious right in NC. At least, that’s my reasoning. Pretty dishonest.

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**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mccain-i-dont-want-to-talk-about-wright-but-obama-made-me-do-it/447159/30 "2008-04-29T12:42:47Z")

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[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy]  
Loos like McCain’s in good company: [Fox’s Chris Wallace feels exactly the same way!](http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/04/27/sunday-quote-of-the-day.aspx)  
[/QUOTE]  
To be fair, Wallace is a journalist; McCain is not. Wallace would be remiss to ignore it; McCain would be a gentleman.

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