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Senator Hillary Clinton versus a coffeemaker.

Michelle and Barack Obama were interviewed on Rachel Ray’s television show.

A transcript of Senator Obama’s speech discussing Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s speech to the National Press Club.

Before I start taking questions I want to open it up with a couple of comments about what we saw and heard yesterday. I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That’s in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That’s who I am. That’s what I believe. That’s what this campaign has been about.

Yesterday, we saw a very different vision of America. I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday.

You know, I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992. I have known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church.

They certainly don’t portray accurately my values and beliefs. And, if Rev. Wright thinks that that’s political posturing, as he put it, then he doesn’t know me very well. And based on his remarks yesterday, well, I may not know him as well as I thought, either.

Now, I’ve already denounced the comments that had appeared in these previous sermons. As I said, I had not heard them before. And I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church. He’s built a wonderful congregation. The people of Trinity are wonderful people, and what attracted me has always been their ministry’s reach beyond the church walls.

But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions as the U.S. government somehow being involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Minister Farrakhan somehow represents one of the greatest voices of the 20th and 21st century, when he equates the United States’ wartime efforts with terrorism, then there are no excuses. They offend me. They rightly offend all Americans. And they should be denounced, and that’s what I’m doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.

Let me just close by saying this: I — we started this campaign with the idea that the problems that we face as a country are too great to continue to be divided, that, in fact, all across America people are hungry to get out of the old divisive politics of the past.

I have spoken and written about the need for us to all recognize each other as Americans, regardless of race or religion or region of the country; that the only way we can deal with critical issues, like energy and health care and education and the war on terrorism, is if we are joined together. And the reason our campaign has been so successful is because we had moved beyond these old arguments.

What we saw yesterday out of Rev. Wright was a resurfacing and, I believe, an exploitation of those old divisions. Whatever his intentions, that was the result. It is antithetical to our campaign. It is antithetical to what I am about. It is not what I think American stands for.

And I want to be very clear that moving forward, Rev. Wright does not speak for me. He does not speak for our campaign. I cannot prevent him from continuing to make these outrageous remarks. But what I do want him to be very clear about, as well as all of you and the American people, is that when I say I find these comments appalling. I mean it. It contradicts everything that I’m about and who I am.

And anybody who has worked with me, who knows my life, who has read my books, who has seen what this campaign’s about, I think, will understand that it is completely opposed to what I stand for and where I want to take this country.

Last point: I’m particularly distressed that this has caused such a distraction from what this campaign should be about, which is the American people. Their situation is getting worse. And this campaign has never been about me. It’s never been about Sen. Clinton or John McCain. It’s not about Rev. Wright.

People want some help in stabilizing their lives and securing a better future for themselves and their children, and that’s what we should be talking about. And the fact that Rev. Wright would think that somehow it was appropriate to command the stage, for three or four consecutive days, in the midst of this major debate, is something that not only makes me angry but also saddens me.

Marc Halperin is reporting that Michelle Obama will address the Rev. Wright today in appearances and interviews. Meanwhile Missouri Rep. Skelton is endorsing Senator Clinton today because of her support in “rural” America.

Drudge was the first to report that Senator Clinton will appear on FOX’s O’Reilly factor next week Wednesday night in a two-part interview.

I’m outraged by the comments that were made and saddened by the spectacle that we saw yesterday. I have been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ since 1992 and have known Jeremiah Wright for almost 22 years. The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but they also give comfort to those that prey on hate and I believe they do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. They certainly do not accurately portray my values and beliefs. If Reverend Wright thinks that is political posturing on my part, he does not know me very well.

I have already denounced those comments that have come out of these previous sermons. I gave him the benefit of the doubt in my speech in Philadelphia, explaining that he has done enormous good in the church, has built a wonderful conversation. They are a wonderful people and what attracted me has always been the ministries reach beyond church walls. But when he states and then amplifies such ridiculous propositions, that the U.S. government is involved in AIDS, when he suggests that Louis Farrakhan represents one of the greatest voices of the 21st century, when he equates the United States’ wartime effort with terrorism, then there are no excuses. They offend me, they rightfully offend all Americans, and they should be denounced. That is what I am doing very clearly and unequivocally here today.

“I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That’s in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding to insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That’s who I am, that’s what I believe, and that’s what this campaign has been about,”

“The person that I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago,” he said. “His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church.”

Writeup at FOX News:

“Yesterday we saw a very different vision of America,” Obama said. “I am outraged by the comments that were made, and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday.”

“The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive but I believe they ended up giving comfort to those who prey on hate,” he said.

Said Wright’s comments were “a bunch of rants that aren’t grounded in truth” - Malkin has a complete rundown..”

CNN reporting

I noted last week Senator Obama hadn’t been sounding like himself lately. Today Bloomberg reports that the Senator has made an admission of the turn in style and is now running away from negative campaigning.

“I told this to my team, you know, we are starting to sound like other folks, we are starting to run the same negative stuff,” Obama told a crowd of about 5,000 in Wilmington, North Carolina. “It shows that none of us are immune from this kind of politics. But the problem is that it doesn’t help you.”

What happened to Obama? Put simply, reality set in. It is well and good to say you will stay upbeat in a campaign, a whole other story to actually do it while your opponents pile on. What makes Obama unique to his base is his message of “hope” and a change from the past. What is unrealistic is that he can win a general election without appearing to fight back. Gore and Kerry spent endless amounts of time talking about changing the tone and being above it all while George Bush ran circles around them.

According to the New York Post The Rev. Al Sharpton directly accused Sen. Obama of trying to “grandstand to white people” during a phone call yesterday. Sharpton was referring to Obama’s call for nonviolence following the outcome of a controversial case involving Sean Bell who was shot 50 times by undercover police officers. Those officers were found not guilty of various charges this week.

“[Obama] issues this statement and not a single rock had been thrown,” said a source. “How does the candidate of change ask people to accept a verdict that is unjust?”

The source said Sharpton had hoped Obama would “side with the Bell family” and not use it as an “opportunity to grandstand in front of white people.”

Sharpton has threatened to “shut down New York City” to protest.

My take? Obama is not going to be helped with the sections of white America he is trying to win over by Sharpton, Jackson or this weeks media tour by his former pastor Rev. Wright. Honestly the best thing Obama could do is to tell Sharpton where he can stick the grandstanding charges.

TITLE: “100″

LENGTH: 30 seconds.

AIRING: nationally on cable television.

SCRIPT: Questioner: “President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years ”

McCain: “Maybe 100. That would be fine with me.”

Announcer: “If all he offers is more of the same is John McCain the right choice for America’s future? The Democratic National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising.”

KEY IMAGES: The ad shows a split screen, the left half with the text of the questioner’s comments, the right with a fuzzy image of McCain listening. After McCain responds, “Maybe 100,” the McCain image freezes and the words “100 years in Iraq” appear across from him. After he says, “That would be fine with me,” the full screen cuts to images of U.S. troops under fire in Iraq and violence on its streets. The words “5 years,” “$500 billion” and “Over 4,000 dead” appear over the images. Then McCain reappears on a split screen, this time facing images of violence, and the question and response are repeated. The ad concludes with a photo of Bush with his arm around McCain.

THE SPIN: The ad plays up a McCain comment about U.S. troops in Iraq, links McCain with Bush and suggests that McCain will continue the policies of the unpopular president. The spot is the second of two in a half-million-dollar, three-week campaign on national cable television aimed at a key argument against the expected GOP nominee.

ANALYSIS: In tone, the ad is much like the previous DNC spot on the struggling U.S. economy. It quoted McCain as saying “I think we are better off overall” than eight years ago. Using his own words against him is part of the overall DNC strategy to put McCain on the defensive while Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton continue to compete against each other for the Democratic nomination.

The “100″ years remark has dogged McCain since he spoke those words last January while campaigning in New Hampshire. McCain gave what seemed to be a flippant response to a question about how long the U.S. would remain in Iraq. A questioner in a town hall setting had challenged McCain about Bush’s view that troops could be in Iraq for 50 years.

“Maybe a hundred,” McCain said. “We’ve been in South Korea. We’ve been in Japan for 60 years. We’ve been in South Korea for 50 years or so. That’d be fine with me as long as Americans, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed. Then it’s fine with me. I hope it would be fine with you if we maintain a presence in a very volatile part of the world where al-Qaida is training, recruiting and equipping and motivating people every single day.”

McCain’s opponents have suggested those remarks mean that he would continue to wage war in Iraq for a century. Not so, McCain says, though he offers no specifics for when U.S. troops would be brought home or when the violence might end. Instead of framing the comments in terms of warfare, McCain says the U.S. military would remain there much as it has in Germany, Japan and South Korea.

McCain opened himself up to the ad because of his imprecise remarks, which didn’t spell out what he meant.

Transcript via Star Tribune