Does Barack Obama know his friends?

Barack Obama has professed himself “deeply disappointed” in Father Pfleger’s merciless racial mockery of Sen. Clinton from the pulpit of Obama’s church in Chicago. Although Obama has known Pfleger for some 20 years and Pfleger has been involved in Obama’s campaign, Obama’s statement sounds detached from Pfleger and the substance of Pfleger’s remarks. It is almost as though Obama and Pfleger are at best distant acquaintances. This afternoon Obama announced:

“As I have traveled this country, I’ve been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us. That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger’s divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn’t reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause.”

In the video of Pfleger’s remarks from the pulpit of Trinity United Church, Pfleger is apparently introduced by Pastor Otis Moss. Aaron Klein, in any event, identifies the speaker as Moss. Moss praises Pfleger effusively before his remarks. “We thank God for the message, and we thank God for the messenger. We thank God for Father Michael Pfleger, we thank God for Father Mike,” Moss says after Pfleger’s tirade.

In his April 29 press conference on Jeremiah Wright, Obama described Moss as TUC’s “wonderful young pastor” to explain his continuing allegiance to the church. Does Obama know his friends?

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