Update #2: Senator Obama spoke on the subject saying:

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

Update: The Obama campaign disputes this claim

On Friday, as the blogs and MSM began running video of Barack Obama’s pastor Heremiah Wright denouncing America, the Senator publically and forecefully denounced him saying he knew a different man and wasn’t in attendance when those comments were made. However an August 9th 2007 report by Newsmax suggests something interesting. (Found via Malkin via Autonomist)

Wright has been noted for often using the terms “white arrogance” and the “United States of White America”. Reportedly Obama was in the audience and nodding while Wright used the terms during a sermon on July 22nd 2007.

In April the NYT interviewed Senator Obama about Jeremiah Wrights comments concerning 9/11 and America’s role. This Friday Obama condemned the language in the strongest manner. Though the Senator did say they were “inexcusable” during the April NYT interview, he also said the following in an attempt to frame where they came from:

“The violence of 9/11 was inexcusable and without justification,” he said in a recent interview. He was not at Trinity the day Mr. Wright delivered his remarks shortly after the attacks, Mr. Obama said, but “it sounds like he was trying to be provocative.”

“Reverend Wright is a child of the 60s, and he often expresses himself in that language of concern with institutional racism and the struggles the African-American community has gone through,” Mr. Obama said. “He analyzes public events in the context of race. I tend to look at them through the context of social justice and inequality.”

Obama’s Friday denouncement contained none of the caveats found in the April NYT article.

Foreshadowing current events, Rev. Wright said of their relationship and the 2008 campaign in the same article:

“If Barack gets past the primary, he might have to publicly distance himself from me,” Mr. Wright said with a shrug. “I said it to Barack personally, and he said yeah, that might have to happen.”

So what we are left with is the following. Obama has on many occasions talked about the influence of Wright on the Senator’s life and career and the wisdom he has found in the pastor’s sermons while denying that he was present during the 9/11 comments and playing down any knowledge of the pastor’s darker ideology. He seems to be attempting to have it both ways.

Obama also has known about the 9/11 comments for a year and there is working evidence from the Newsmax article, that on at least one occasion the Senator was present and not outraged by the racially divisive language of his pastor.

So we have the following logical framework.

1) Racially divisive language and anti-American language is by no means new to Jeremiah Wright.

2) Obama has been aware that he has made such statements for over a year.

3) Because of #1 we have to assume that these are regular parts of Wright’s sermon’s

4) Obama’s 20 year involvement in the church means that he has been present when such racially divisive language exists

It would be an insult to intellect to assume that all of the sermons that have been coming out are by any means isolated examples as Obama has attempted to frame them in the past. So we are left with possible conclusions based on the understanding that Obama’s own rhetoric is about ending racial disharmony.

1) Obama does not agree with this worldview held by what appears to be a rather radical church (this isn’t just the pastor, the church itself seems to be based on a rather anti-America and radical worldview) and the Senator simply sits through this hate-filled speech and discards it in favor of whatever positive nuggets are left.

2) There is something not entirely accurate about our understanding of Obama’s worldview and he accepts or potentially believes more of what is being said in these sermon’s than he is telling the public.

Every report about the church seems similar. It is an unashamedly pro-Black, anti-White congregation with few white members in attendance. I would be surprised if many members would be willing to come out and start recalling instances when other unflattering language has been used while the Senator was in attendance, but if I were the Senator I wouldn’t be surprised if such stories start coming out or worse still, videotape of him sitting through them or joining in.